


What lies ahead

by SovietBullet



Category: El Cor de la Ciutat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 20:07:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 152,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17987741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SovietBullet/pseuds/SovietBullet





	1. Chapter 1

Jaehyun’s eyes roam the entirety of the inside of the elevator, taking in that there are five other men dressed in crisp, black suit with him. The floor number flashes right above the silver, metal doors, blaring red as it nears the floor where all of them will finally meet the Kingpin of the organization.

He wonders momentarily if the Kingpin’s an old, graying man teetering on the edge of life and death hence the need to recruit more members, probably to secure the organization’s longstanding safety. It’s only natural, he supposes. In the mafia world, one has to fight to stay alive and make sure that they’re on top of the chain.

Jaehyun surreptitiously glances at the men around him. All of them are officially going to be the new members of  _Red Phoenix_ in a few minutes, labeled Gold. In the organization, members are categorized in different levels depending on their skills. They must have been pretty impressive during the exhibition to accelerate three steps from the bottom. The highest is Diamond, and only a few names are in there.

The thought of landing on the Gold category makes him feel so smug, so proud of himself. He had worked hard for this. With him previously belonging in Red Phoenix’s subgroup  _Invictus_ as a shooter under the leadership of his father, he was initially regarded as someone who climbed into his current position through connections, which is  _utter_  nonsense because one, his father was against him risking his life in this profession in the first place, and two, he has a strong sense of independence. Relying on someone else isn’t in his dictionary. If Jaehyun lives, he lives through no one’s help.

And he’s here in Red Phoenix because he had proved himself worthy; he’s outstanding.

The elevator dings and they all stride out into an office right at the end of the floor. The guard dressed in the same suit presses a button to his Bluetooth earpiece to inform the other line of the arrival of recruits before asking them to press their palms right on the scanner by the door. After their identities are cleared, they waste no time in entering and taking their seats at the round table.

The interior design of the headquarters doesn’t look much different from Invictus. A screen that fills up the entire wall switches on to reveal a man looking expensive, untouchable and youthful despite the crow’s feet on the corners of his eyes. His hair is jet black, gelled and brushed back to expose his forehead. He looks like he’s in his 50s. If the wristwatch embedded with little diamond stones says something about the man’s wealth, Jaehyun would wager that this is their Kingpin and he’s wrong about one thing: the Kingpin isn’t dying and they most likely just want to strengthen their organization, to assert their dominance.

“I suppose you’re already oriented about me, Gold cards. I apologize for not allowing photos of me to be divulged, but I trust that you know the protocol and you respect it, do you not?”  _Lee Namgyu_ smiles as though he’s trying not to scare them. Jaehyun mentally snorts. They’re not about to let someone – even the most powerful in this organization to treat them like kindergartens. But he appreciates the fatherly aura emanating from the man and it’s so palpable that it passes right through the screen. He’s sure the others feel it too.

“Excellent,” He praises although there was no indication of a response from them. The room is deafeningly silent, saved by the Kingpin’s rough yet calming tone. “Let’s get right into business without further ado, gentlemen. As you already know,  _Dragonaire_  is threatening to kick us off our own market. Bold of them to assume we’ll let them right into our world, to harvest the seeds we have planted for years. Gambling, smuggling, trafficking, it’s ours. Red Phoenix had been raking millions out of these kinds of business. This is ours. We are not going to let a third-rate mafia damage our fences, are we?”

“If Dragonaire’s as weak as you’re saying, why did Red Phoenix have to look for new men? Are the existing ones not enough? Or is it merely due to the number in Dragonaire?” Jaehyun taps his fingers in a steady beat against the table, grating on the nerves of the other men in the room. “They’re not as harmless as we think they are, perhaps?”

Silence occupies the office for a few seconds before Namgyu grins in approval, pointing at Jaehyun as though he knew they picked the right guy. And Jaehyun’s going to show them just that. “Perfect. I don’t want anyone of you to be complacent. Dragonaire may be a small time business compared to us, but they’re known for scouting unidentified men. They’re eager to outnumber us when it comes to combat. We have the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond cards but not everyone is fit to fight. A portion of us, as you already know is assigned for medics, some for intelligence, and some for the internal and external operations while the remaining is for fighting when the situation calls for it. Dragonaire doesn’t care about stuff like this. They don’t pay respect when it’s due, so they’re blatantly coming for us – for you. It’s funny, don’t you think?” Namgyu slouches back, relaxing in his leather seat with a slight shrug. “Half of these organizations wouldn’t be where they are if it wasn’t for us. So I need you. Red Phoenix needs you to remind them where they belong. Understood?”

They respond in unison, assuring the Kingpin of their dedication and loyalty to the group. Namgyu waves a dismissive hand. “Alright. You’ve been briefed enough for this. I believe you have to be familiar with everyone now. When I call for a meeting, it’s going to be through my assistant, Moon Taeil. You may go.”

 

0o0o0

 

“Hey! Hello there!”

Jaehyun whips around to follow the chirpy voice of whoever’s calling for him. He raises a brow at the sight of a widely grinning man taller than him by a few centimeters, four at most. He takes out his hand from his pocket and begrudgingly holds the other’s offered one to shake.  _Are some of them really being friendly now?_

“I’m Johnny! You’re one of the new recruits, right? I see you’re a Golden boy. Must be nice!” Johnny lets go of his hand and fishes out a card from his jeans’ pocket, showing a Silver card. For someone who works for Red Phoenix, he dresses quite carelessly. Or maybe Jaehyun’s just overdressed?

The other man senses his internal assessment and chuckles, shyly scratching the back of his head. “Well, I’ve been here for a year so I’m feeling quite at home. They don’t really care, you know. Especially if you aren’t one of the elites.”

“Elites?”

Johnny rolls his eyes and gestures for Jaehyun to follow, which the other wordlessly does. He’s still a bit confused with the turns and curves of the building, and he’s familiarizing himself with the members anyway. “Let’s talk about that later. For now let’s get some food, yeah? It’s almost one!”

Johnny’s friendliness and too bright of a smile peeve him a little. He’s taught not to be too trusting in this kind of profession, and he’s gotten used to the gloomy and standoff presence of Invictus members that Johnny’s easygoing personality’s kind of a culture shock.

They fall into a casual conversation on the way to the cafeteria. Johnny blabbers about the names of people he claims Jaehyun needs to meet but Jaehyun’s mind floats somewhere else, more specifically to the meeting earlier. Beating Dragonaire and putting them to their place won’t be difficult. They just need to strategize, like they’re expected to.

A loud cacophony of noises welcomes them when they set foot in the dining area. It seems like these dangerous men forget their line of work and the remnants of blood that were shed in their hands when it’s break time. The scene unfolding in front of him humanizes every single one of them at the moment, reminding Jaehyun that these people are nothing but human albeit predatory. At the end of the day, they’re all just doing their job to survive.

“Boys,” Johnny’s voice breaks his trance. Jaehyun stops by a table with several men sharing Johnny’s fashion, except for one with thick-rimmed eyeglasses perched on his nose – this one is in a suit just like Jaehyun’s. He resembles a bunny when he chews his food like that–rapid and his cheeks are quite bouncy. They all look at the tall man before their eyes simultaneously land on Jaehyun, acknowledging his presence. “This is the new Golden boy! His name’s Jaehyun. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch the other recruits but this one looks good enough for the squad, doesn’t he?”

Confusion writes itself on Jaehyun’s features, allowing Johnny to elaborate. “Oh, that only means you’re our friend now! Guys, say hi…”

“Doyoung here. Intelligence. Gold card.” The bunny look-alike says. So he’s as good as Jaehyun, only in a different field.

“I’m Yuta! Silver.” The guy with a chiseled jaw and hair falling over his forehead introduces himself next. Before Jaehyun could ask what he does, the obviously Japanese man speaks again. “What I do is what you do, just one level lower since I haven’t been here for a long time.”

“How certain are you that I would be a gunman?”

Yuta picks at the food stuck in his teeth before flicking it to Doyoung’s direction who wails in disgust. “The way you hold yourself. The way you stand, the way you’re posed. Everything I’ve calculated tells me that you’re always on edge, ready to aim. Relax, Jaehyun. We don’t have any mission yet, do we? Unless you plan on busting our brains right here.” Yuta grins, taunting. Jaehyun decides he already likes Yuta just because of his deduction skills.

“I’ll only do that if you pose a threat. From the looks of it, I don’t need to do that anytime soon. Nice too meet you, Yuta.”

Johnny leaves to get his own food, and Jaehyun vaguely hears about the other saying he’ll also get him some. He takes a seat then, supposing he can drop his guard for a while. He looks at the last guy on the table and muses that this one’s certainly a foreigner too.

“Chinese?”

“Yeah. You can call me Winwin. Arsonist, Gold.”

He nods in content. At least he’s not the only one on a higher category in his…new circle of friends. Suddenly wondering about Johnny’s line of work, Jaehyun opens his mouth only to be shut close as soon as Johnny comes back with a tray of food.

“I got you some sandwich and uh, banana milk? Do you like fruits?”

“Who wouldn’t like fruits?” Jaehyun mutters his gratitude to the other before wolfing down his sandwich. He didn’t even realize he’s  _that_  hungry, completely forgetting that he skipped breakfast in lieu of getting to the HQ early. The whole table shares a knowing look before Johnny sighs, shaking his head.

“Well, this guy called Taeyong-“

“That’s his boyfriend, by the way. Taeyong’s a nurse.” Winwin interjects.

Johnny gesticulates, mumbling something about not being official before continuing. “As I was saying, Taeyong hates fruits. I don’t know his deal, but he said fruits are scary.”

“That bitch’s hallucinating, sniffing those chemicals all day in the clinic.” The Japanese man says, receiving a chunk of sandwich from Johnny’s lunch, accurately hitting him right on the eye.

“Fuck! That hurt!”

“Don’t call him that!”

Yuta grumbles, cleaning off his face with a tissue. “So much for not caring…”

As oddly entertaining the scene is, there’s a more pressing matter at hand that Jaehyun has to know. “So what do you do? You didn’t tell me.”

“Oh? I work the explosives.”

Huh. So Johnny’s not as harmless as he initially thought.  _Why are we not all Gold card holders? Johnny and Yuta sound like they’re up to par._

The noise ringing inside the cafeteria soon dies down. Jaehyun notices how Yuta’s mouth curves downward in distaste, while the rest of them decide that the chatter’s over. The air in the cafeteria takes a turn to the south, dropping drastically for some reason.

“Uh..?”

There’s a gentle nudge on his side. Johnny’s eyes travel to the direction of the entryway, silently telling him to look at the answer.

Jaehyun turns. A guy dressed in all black from head to toe has entered, stopping in front of the vending machine at the corner. His shoulders are hunched and the hood of his jacket sits on his head, preventing Jaehyun from seeing the face of the newcomer. Jaehyun watches intently, observing. The nameless guy inserts a few coins and waits as the machine rumbles before picking up the chocolate bar he bought. His eyes do not leave the figure as it finds its seat to the table beside theirs, where no one occupies.

From everyone’s reaction, it’s safe to think that this guy’s dislikable.  _Probably attitude problems._  Jaehyun continues to watch as the man unwraps his chocolate and bites a significantly big chunk, noisily munching on it. The annoying sounds of wet chewing crawl under his skin, and Jaehyun wants to get out of his seat to inform the man of his gross habit.

Johnny’s breath hits his ear unpleasantly as he whispers furtively to Jaehyun. “That’s Ten Chittaphon. Knife thrower. Has a sick penchant for torture. Boss lets him do his work as long as he doesn’t kill. Besides, we only resort to torture to get some primary information. Heard he got anger management classes. You’ll know soon enough why that rumor goes around here. That guy’s no good, so stay out of his way as much as you can.”

Even as Johnny finishes introducing Ten Chittaphon to him, Jaehyun still doesn’t take his eyes off of the other. It’s clear that he has to stir out of this man’s way, but Jaehyun finds himself getting pulled by an invisible force instead. Ten Chittaphon’s an interesting enigma, based on what Jaehyun was told as well as the fact that only his presence manages to make Red Phoenix members cower.

Ten Chittaphon stops chewing. He doesn’t move for possibly half a minute; his legs are perched on the seat opposite his, one hand stuck in a pocket while the other holding the chocolate remains immobile. His head is down, face blocked from anyone’s view. Jaehyun starts to think that maybe the man’s suffering from petit mal seizure, worse shock, though he’s uncertain of triggers before Ten Chittaphon’s head cocks up and striking blue eyes meet his own.

Jaehyun’s heart rate speeds up. It drums loudly against his ribcage, almost feeling like it wants to escape out of imprisonment. Ten’s eyes hold his, unblinking, sucking him in. He feels like he’s being scrutinized, bare and defenseless. But even though, Jaehyun can’t find the urge to look away, to break the eye contact. So he holds it as long as he can, resisting the strong will to close his eyes as they slowly start to dry.

A loud gasp spills out of his lips when something happens, causing Ten Chittaphon to sever the connection of their eyes. A man, Bronze card holder judging from the rectangle peeking out of his pocket shakes likes a leaf as he stands next to the mysterious blue-eyed. Jaehyun soon realizes that the poor guy had accidentally spilled his juice on Ten’s sleeve, drenching the fabric with the sticky drink. The man lets out a string of apology, sounding like he’s close to breaking down.

“We should go…” Winwin mumbles.

Jaehyun raises a hand, stopping any of them from standing. “No, I wanna see what happens next.”

Much to his delight, Ten Chittaphon automatically confirms the rumor that Johnny had shared as he strikes out of his seat and curls his arm around the man’s neck before slamming him down the table, face down. Jaehyun hears the unmistakable sound of bone cracking, wincing at the ugly sight. The man’s face bleeds due to his broken nose and busted lip while Ten Chittaphon nonchalantly picks up his discarded chocolate and disposes it in the trash bin before exiting the cafeteria.

As soon as Ten’s gone, the place erupts in chaos as someone calls for medic while the others check the now unconscious recipient of Ten’s wrath. Johnny releases a shaky sigh and shakes his head, fingers brushing through his hair. “That was so uncalled for, but that’s nothing new. It’s just Edogawa’s unlucky day.”

Johnny taps Jaehyun’s shoulder and tells him that he’s in the mood to give the Gold card a quick tour of the HQ.

As they round the hall and Jaehyun lets the boys discuss where they should go first, he thinks about the second Ten Chittaphon’s hood falls off and reveals his caramel tresses. The long tail of his hair seemingly like an overgrown mullet cascades down his midriff. Jaehyun is reminded of those Chinese warriors in fantasy shoujo mangas he had read when he was younger. He lets himself wonder if Ten’s a foreigner because of the color of his eyes, but he keeps his mouth shut. Ten Chittaphon doesn’t look like a topic his newfound friends would want to talk about.

0o0o0

His alarm clock rings, forcing him out of a dreamless sleep. Jaehyun gets up with a grunt, annoyed to have been woken up at a harsh hour. Though he supposes it’s his own fault that he doesn’t want to miss a day of workout, and using the gym at 5 in the morning is only logical if he doesn’t want a bunch of perspiring men surrounding him.

Dressed in a pair of comfortable shirt and shorts and some running shoes he immediately stalks off to where the gym is located. A grin splits his face in half as he confirms the lack of people in there before going over to the lockers to stuff his bag inside. Jaehyun quickly warms up his muscles, deciding that he’ll be using the treadmill first.

To say that he’s startled at the sight of Ten Chittaphon using one of the treadmills is a complete understatement. Jaehyun finds himself rooted on the spot, openly watching the other do his runs in a sleeveless shirt and track pants, all black except for his white shoes. His caramel hair is untied, with strands sticking to sweaty parts of his skin. With a closer look compared to yesterday, his hair doesn’t actually reach his midriff, but just a little past his chest. He also has piercings on his left ear and… _is that a cigarette?_ Nevertheless he still looks too pretty for a man, and Jaehyun quite literally pushes himself forward to do his exercise, four treadmills away from Ten Chittaphon.

No one talks. It seems like Ten is unaware of his presence with how loud the music blasts from his headphones. Jaehyun doesn’t know the song – it sounds like some heavy metal, and he’s not about to judge Ten’s gym playlist. If it pumps him up, then so be it.

Jaehyun plugs his earphones in and shuffles a random playlist. He sets the speed of the treadmill, content of the pace. He tries not to let his eyes wander somewhere else; particularly on the unexpected gym buddy he’s yet to hear talking. The sound of his annoying chewing doesn’t count. Jaehyun’s nose scrunches at the memory. He can still hear it through Queen Bey’s Crazy in Love, making him turn up the volume.

When the itch to look at a certain someone gets unbelievably strong, Jaehyun closes his eyes to get lost in the music instead, hoping that the need dies down soon. Usually, he doesn’t stay for longer than 15 minutes on a treadmill, opting to try another set of equipment to work on his arm muscles but for today, he doesn’t mind the time. He feels the telltale sign of cramps when he passes the 25 minute-mark and reluctantly slows down, eventually stepping off the treadmill.

A warm body bumps against his and Jaehyun turns around to face a stoic Ten Chittaphon. He tears off his earphones.

“I’m so-“

“Jung Jaehyun, Gold card? Invictus?” Ten apathetically says, lacking of emotions.

Jaehyun stares calculatingly. “It sounds like you already checked my profile.”

Ten doesn’t speak right away. He doesn’t move out of Jaehyun’s way either, choosing to glance down the new recruit’s lower region, making Jaehyun uncomfortable. “What-“

“It’s number one rule in Red Phoenix to bring your card all the time, wherever you are. You’re already being too careless, aren’t you?” Ten’s hands suddenly pat Jaehyun’s body like an officer checking for contrabands. Jaehyun protests, pushing at Ten but the other’s insistent. Ten only stops when it’s guaranteed there’s nothing in Jaehyun’s clothes aside from the phone in his pocket.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jaehyun grouches, feeling harassed. There’s nothing much on Ten’s face that gives away whatever’s running in his head but from what just happened, Jaehyun thinks he doesn’t really want to know.

A smirk curls on Ten’s lips, the first ever solid expression Jaehyun saw in him. Despite how attractive it looks on the other, Jaehyun is still shaken up from the unwarranted touching and is a second away from socking Ten’s jaw, consequences be damned.

“Good to know you think the way they do – that something’s wrong with me just because I’m taking extra measures to be careful. They’ve told you about me already, hm? Even better. At least you got a heads up.” Ten runs his hand through his hair and the strands fall gently over his eyes, blocking the blue circles. “Nice meeting you, Jaehyun. I hope we don’t butt heads in the future. I don’t really want to ruin that kind of face.”

The caramel-head is already walking away when Jaehyun remembers he still doesn’t know one thing about the knife thrower. “Wait!”

He doesn’t expect Ten to give him a chance, but he did. He stops in his tracks but doesn’t turn around.

“Uh, if you don’t mind - what’s your card?”

Ten looks at him then, eyes sparkling in mischief. He pulls out both hands from his pockets and only shows Jaehyun his phone and nothing else. Jaehyun’s pissed off. How dare he preach Jaehyun the rule of Red Phoenix while being a hypocrite at the same time?

“Don’t get infuriated now, dimple boy. I don’t have a card. Kingpin knew I’m too good for his lame ass brands.”

0o0o0

The firing range of the HQ’s vast enough for all their gunmen to utilize, placed in the 8th floor of the palatial building. Jaehyun grips the Taurus Millenium pro .45, grasping its weight between his hands before aiming at the dummy target, the bullet piercing right between the eyes. His fellow Red Phoenix shooters are practicing as well, with Yuta occupying the next booth.

Jaehyun haphazardly tosses the gun down the mini table with a clatter when he runs out of bullets, removing his ear muffs before sitting down the bench for a rest. Yuta soon follows, nursing himself with a bottle of water that Jaehyun rejects after the Japanese offered. Yuta, Jaehyun learns, is really unhygienic.

“Those were good shots,” Praises Yuta, crushing the empty plastic bottle in his hand before disposing it. “I could use a trick or two from you.”

“I don’t really have much trick up my sleeves. Look at them,” Jaehyun straightens, head cocking to the shooters in the booths. “They’re stiff. Awkward stance. Crooked angle of the arms. When you spot your target, let go off the jitters, alright? Don’t question, don’t think. Just shoot. When you think too much, you miss it. I’m sure you know the basics to disarm the enemy, correct?”

“Mhm. The hand so they drop the gun, the kneecap so they fall to the ground, the head, right on the heart. Just the few of them. And it buys you more time to take advantage of the situation.”

“Good. I hope they promote you into Gold.” Jaehyun pats Yuta’s shoulder with a small smile. They watch the others in comfortable silence shortly, not really having anything to talk about. Yuta pulls out his phone and frowns at a message.

“Whose is that from?”

“Taeyong. Oh right, we haven’t added you in the group chat yet. I’ll do it- there, done. He said he wants to meet you and it’s his only free time for today. Huh, don’t you think 3’s too late for lunch? It’s not like he has regular patients. I swear that guy’s a little loose in the head. Don’t tell Johnny.” Yuta gets up, pocketing his phone and heading straight to the doors, clearly expecting Jaehyun to tail him.

Jaehyun chuckles. “Are they sure it’s just casual sex?”

“They’re sure they’re just lying to themselves at this point. They’re practically married, it’s sickening.”

The duo gets in an elevator and Yuta presses button 2. “It’s fine, though. I guess. We don’t really get out of the HQ unless there’s a mission so people just get together here. Casual, serious, all kinds. Body language, stolen glances talk. Doyoung caught the two making out in the janitor’s closet acting like teenagers-“ Yuta’s rambling gets cut off with Jaehyun’s boisterous laughter, and his own mouth twitches. “-so yeah, whenever Taeyong’s around, Johnny’s automatically stuck to the dwarf’s side. They have these heart eyes, you know. They suck at hiding, but they’re stubborn and won’t admit it. We’re starting to think it’s a kink.”

“That sounds amusing,” Jaehyun nods, following Yuta out of the elevator when the doors open. “What about you? Anyone you’re dating, or whatever?”

Yuta grumbles. “I don’t have time for that. 90% of Red Phoenix is men and sadly, I’m straight.”

“Well, there’s the 10%?” They’re already nearing the clinic and Jaehyun can see that the others are already inside and that there’s a sign hanging on the doors saying ‘break time’. If someone gets injured, Taeyong has no other choice but to cut the break short, doesn’t he?

“Right. But that 10% ain’t nothing if they’re all over that blue-eyed freak. Ten Chittaphon’s crazy, okay, but he’s also too fucking handsome, even pretty that there’s scarcity of women for the other hopefuls in this goddamn place,” Yuta slides the door open, closing it after Jaehyun. “You know women. They like bad boys, those mysterious ones that don’t know how to talk.”

“What’s crackalackin’?” A short man dressed in white approaches them, eyeing Jaehyun. “You must be Jaehyun! I’m Taeyong! Diamond card.”

Jaehyun’s eyes bulge. “Diamond?”

“Is it really shocking? Apparently, I’m good enough with what I do. I also know how to use the gun for protection; you can say I can kill Yuta with what I can do. So Diamond. Fair enough, right?” Taeyong grins and beckons them to the receiving area. The rest of the squad is present.

“So what were you two talking about? Yuta’s nostrils were flaring.”

“I told Jaehyun that Ten steals all the girls in here. Before you ask what caused this conversation, I’m gonna tell you now. Somehow we ended up discussing yours and Johnny’s relationship.”

Taeyong glares at the Japanese and Yuta raises his hands in defense. “Well, he can’t be out of the loop if he’s joining us. Anyway, you’re all aware that the few women in here will do anything to get in the guy’s pants. Which sucks for me, because I only have my hand for the next ten years or so. That damn brat has to be grateful.”

“Calm your tits. It’s not like he entertains them?” Doyoung says more to himself than the others. Jaehyun’s brow piques in interest.

“What do you mean?” The Gold card shooter asks. It makes him feel normal again, like a gossiping high school student.

Doyoung squints at the laptop resting on his knees, typing. It’s probably overdue work. His multitasking skills are incredible, considering the demand of his job and his brain has enough space to deal with the childish gossip they’re currently having. “It’s safe to say that Ten Chittaphon is asexual. Or gay. Or he just doesn’t think sex or romance is of any importance to him. Yuta looks away in resentment everytime a woman, particularly this Silver-rate co-worker of mine called Risa Uehara flirts with Ten Chittaphon. If Yuta wasn’t bitter, he’d know that Ten pushes away anyone who dares breathe two feet close to him. And if Yuta wasn’t a coward, he’d be trying his chances with Uehara now.”

Winwin and Johnny fall into a heap of mess, laughing their lungs out as Yuta whines indignantly. Taeyong rolls his eyes and tugs Johnny back to his side, immediately seeking warmth.

Right. They’re more than casual.

“Ten doesn’t like anyone standing close to him?”

Doyoung closes his laptop and peers up at Jaehyun. “He doesn’t like people in general.”

“He touched me a few days ago.”

“What the fuck?!” Johnny exclaims, wide eyed. “You slept with him?!”

Jaehyun splutters, coughing. That was totally misunderstood. Yuta finally forgets the mistreatment against him at Jaehyun’s expense, highly amused at his pitiful hacking.

“Asshole- that’s not what I meant!” Jaehyun flashes a menacing glare and crosses his arms over his chest. “I went to the gym and he was there. He stared me down and out of the blue he started patting down my body looking for my card, apparently. Berated me for breaking the rule. Just so you know, I felt harassed. But get this- he said he doesn’t have a card?”

“He told you the truth. Ten Chittaphon is stronger than a Diamond card. Or to put it precisely, he’s more dangerous than the enemy. He was scouted when he was a teenager, that’s roughly 7 years ago. He murdered two civilians in a club – causes unknown, bashed their skulls with a bottle until the flesh spurted all over. Coincidentally, an ally of ours was there and brought him to the boss,  _miraculously_  convincing him that Ten Chittaphon would be of use to us. He received therapy for his violent tendencies. Believe me, he’s actually tamed now. He still feels the desire to kill, that’s why boss allowed him to inflict pain on the enemies we take hostage for information, but he has limits. Ten Chittaphon is what anyone would call insane but he’s valuable in Red Phoenix.” Doyoung finishes his monologue and goes back to work on his laptop, ignoring the look of utter disbelief on Jaehyun’s face.

“That’s… Are you allowed to disclose this confidential background?”

“I’m not, but if Ten discovers, he doesn’t usually give a fuck. He doesn’t seem to give a fuck about anything other than sweets. About that, don’t touch the chocolates in the vending machine. He rightfully claimed that. He’s also a chain smoker.”

“I don’t like sweets very much.”

“Good. Do you want to know anything else since you seem hell-bent in solving this puzzle called Ten Chittaphon, Jaehyun?” Doyoung sends him a look that tells Jaehyun the other sees right through him. Johnny clears his throat and Jaehyun saves himself from the embarrassment by not looking at his other friends that are positively thinking the same about him.

“Err… Family?”

“So complete life story. I guess that’s only just since we’re at it already. But if you guys report me to Moon Taeil, I’ll bust your kneecaps.” Doyoung threatens as he types something and opens a folder. “There’s nothing much in here just that his mother is French and he has a sister. Alive. Whereabouts of his father is unknown. He’s originally from France.”

“That explains the eye color.” Jaehyun muses.

Doyoung nods. “He speaks Korean, English and French. He mastered the art of knife throwing at the age of six. His eccentric fascination with blades can be associated to this. He’s highly intelligent with an IQ of 220. He was in and out of school but taught himself by utilizing the public library. I can’t tell you about his mental health records. I’m sure that Taeyong understands. With this, you can undoubtedly agree that Ten Chittaphon deserves his spot here in Red Phoenix. Any other concerns?”

“That’s amazing…” Johnny says in awe, a little dazed. “220, huh. If he was a normal citizen he’d totally get into the top universities.”

“But he’s not normal so let’s leave it at that.” Winwin gets up and stretches, yawning. “We can’t lounge in here, right?”

“Ah, yeah. You guys go. I don’t want any Red Phoenix men witnessing this impromptu gathering and think I’m not doing my job.”

“You don’t always have an injured patient, Taeyong-“

The short nurse shoos them out of the clinic. “Yes, Johnny but some people get fever, headache, stomachache, and the sorts. So scram! I’ll see you guys whenever.”

Jaehyun waves at Taeyong and sees the nurse disappear back into the clinic. He lags behind the group as they naturally come up with another thing to chat about before getting back to either training or work, but his mind lingers on  _him._ Ten Chittaphon is outright dangerous, cunning and if that one of the possibly many crimes he committed doesn’t make Jaehyun kill the budding attentiveness towards the blue-eyed, then he’s going to be in a lot of trouble.

He finds the thought stimulating. He’ll always love a challenge.

***

Right when things seem to start getting mundane in the HQ of Red Phoenix, right when Jaehyun starts questioning his purpose in the organization as he lies in bed one of those nights and entertains the idea of returning to Invictus, Moon Taeil suddenly alerts the participating members regarding the upcoming stakeout-and-bust mission. They were given five minutes to be a little presentable, sending Jaehyun frantically rummaging for decent clothes other than the boxers and muscle tee he’s wearing and to flatten his hair before he finds himself twenty three seconds late in the meeting room, Lee Namgyu regarding him with a look of disappointment as he takes his seat next to Winwin. He’s still a little bit out of it before realizing that the whole squad is in for the mission aside from three other people, two of them he remembers being the new recruits like him.

“I thought ten minutes was too long to rub sleep out of your eyes, boys. Jaehyun proved me wrong.”

Johnny almost springs out of his seat. “Taeil said we got five!”

The authoritative figure standing next to the Kingpin fixes his glasses and clears his throat before making a show of flipping through pages of a file to look busy. “That’s to teach you a lesson.”

“Anyway, to start the meeting,” Namgyu signals Taeil to start the slideshow. “This is Dragonaire’s headquarters. Its perimeter covers the same size as Invictus. Despite being third-rate, they excel in the area of combat. That is how they usually closes deals and completes transactions ㅡ through assault. As secure and advance Red Phoenix is, we cannot be complacent for we do not know how Dragonaire’s gears run at the moment. Thanks to our intel, Gold card Kim Doyoung traced the enemy’s recent computer activities and from the data we have obtained, it seems like Dragonaire’s about to come for one of our important business partners ㅡ  _Garnet.”_

Taeil changes the slide and steps back.

“Garnet handles the smuggled goods coming from Europe. Red Phoenix holds 34% of their stocks. It’s guaranteed that our trust in them will not be broken, but consider that Dragonaire still houses skilled members fully capable of stealing those numbers from us. What I want you to do isㅡ“

The door bangs open and Ten Chittaphon drags himself to the available seat next to Jaehyun. Jaehyun suddenly feels the need to straighten and fix his clothes, ignoring Doyoung’s gaze.

“It’s better late than never, Ten Chittaphon.” Namgyu huffs before whispering something to Taeil that the latter immediately writes down the clipboard.

While the Kingpin and his assistant talks almost inaudibly in front, the rest of the men in the room sit still, unmoving. Yuta’s face sours expectedly, Winwin absently stares at the table as Doyoung’s fingers work themselves on his laptop and Taeyong and Johnny pretend that no one else is in the room with how sticky they look at each other. He doesn’t even want to know what the other men are doing to live through the palpable awkward atmosphere.

Jaehyun’s shoulders sag. There’s no one available for him to boㅡ

“What did they say?”

Jaehyun looks to his side where Ten sucks on a lollipop noisily, twisting the candy around his lips. “Are you talking to me?”

“I’m not that mad to talk to the wall, dimple boy. Now answer me.”

“Uh,” Jaehyun clears his throat. “Dragonaire’s coming for Garnet, possibly to close a bigger deal and send Red Phoenix plunging down the market.”

Ten doesn’t say more. His blue eyes stare at the slide on the screen and Jaehyun’s glad for the lack of attention on him because he really can’t stop himself from admiring Ten’s hair, the overgrown mullet tied into a single braid. He really looks like those pretty warriors in maㅡ

“Jung Jaehyun. We’re in a meeting. We’re tackling Dragonaire, not our knife thrower.”

The Gold card shooter curses under his breath as his face erupts into bursts of flame from how hot it is ㅡ the heat radiates off of his skin and Jaehyun sinks down his seat, willing the ground to swallow him alive and take him away. He mentally applauds the other men for not reacting, not visibly at least, especially the object of his distraction.

“Continuing, what I need you to do is head to Dragonaire’s headquarters and observe. Note the men’s actions, conversations and where they enter and exit, the vehicles they use, and all other important aspect that you may pick up and deem useful in the future. Now that may sound too easy for such group to be sent there, but you are also there because this is the most pressing problem we have at the moment. We need a primary source as soon as possible. We will be spending the rest of the hour here brainstorming strategies and organizing our plan, so it will be executed accordingly. Remember,” Namgyu turns off the screen and leans against the table, both hands pressed on the surface as he looks each one of them in the eyes. “This can end up badly, but I want each and every one of my men alive. Red Phoenix is important, but the organization will not be where it stands today without all of you.”

This, right here, is what Jaehyun lives for. Red Phoenix will prove him that leaving Invictus was written in the stars all along.

***

The iron gates fencing the building of Dragonaire soar into the sky, allowing the tiniest possibility for anyone to infiltrate without resorting to burrowing through the sand. Jaehyun doublethinks its real standing in the black market with its 6 stories-high building, two annex parts each on its left and right sides. This big of an HQ houses several connections not lower than five, just like Invictus and if they’re classified third-rate, there are probably numerous holes in their operations, and allegedly mediocre dealings that their own members haven’t realized yet.

A puff of smoke clouds his vision, blocking him from viewing Dragonaire’s backdoors. Jaehyun heaves at the strong scent of cigarette and covers his mouth to prevent even the slightest sound from passing through.

“Can’t you fucking stop inhaling that cancer stick for a second, you nicotine dependent asshole?” Yuta spouts, glowering at Ten. Johnny, Taeyong, Winwin, and Doyoung remain in the van parked safely hidden from the area. The explosives will only go off in Jaehyun’s signal in case they would get cornered. Taeyong sits back with first aid ready in the vehicle and Doyoung will be the one to instruct them where it’s safe to go. The rest of their team serves as backup for desperate measures.

“Might consider it if you stop running that mouth, you loud sonnuva bitch.” Ten monotonously counters in  _English_ , face perpetually blank before inhaling the cancer stick, blowing it to the Japanese’s direction just to spite Yuta.

A murderous glint flashes across the Silver card shooter’s eyes and Jaehyun harshly clamps a hand against Yuta’s mouth to keep him quiet. “This is not the time for banters,” Jaehyun cups the gun inside his suit and nods firmly. “Let’s get this. Doyoung had informed that the lock on the gates behind is open, so we can now slip inside. Try not to fucking fight, boys.”

With a grunt, Jaehyun leads the way with Ten and Yuta in tow. He glances at the now blocked CCTV at the corner, all thanks to Doyoung who makes sure they’ll enter and leave unscathed and quietly slips past the gates, wincing inwardly as the metal creaks from the push. Ten casually closes the gate as he enters and walks with an air of arrogance and carelessness in his gait, the cigarette long tossed on a pile of sand outside.

Jaehyun fleetingly wonders if Ten came ready in case a fight ensues, which is not impossible with the agenda they have for today because of his lack of weapons.

 _It’s most likely hidden in his clothes. He can save himself if they attack him_.

It instantly irritates him when he realizes that he’s worrying about Ten Chittaphon’s welfare since he’s flawlessly briefed beforehand that the caramel-head’s the last one they should worry about in assignments like this.

 _He looks much too relaxed for_   _ㅡ_

“Hey!”

Barely dodging the bullet, Jaehyun turns to hide behind a wall. Yuta comes out of their cover and shoots, killing the Dragonaire guard with a bullet lodged in the chest. Jaehyun signals Yuta to move forward as a cover, their guns held in a practiced angle.

Running footsteps resonate in the floor and soon they face several enemies, all holding guns. Jaehyun shoots two of them in a blink of an eye, as Yuta lends a hand next to him. They’re positive that the whole building has been alerted of their presence and they will be corned if they don’t move quickly.

“Damn, can you believe we did that, just the two of us?” Yuta smirks. “So much for being greater than a Diamond card…”

Ten picks up a stray shell and lazily throws it in the air, catching it and repeating the action a few times as if he didn’t hear Yuta’s degrading jab. They take an emergency staircase down the nearest hallway just as more gunmen appear, missing a second to spot them.

Jaehyun presses at his earpiece. “Doyoung, can you see where the office is?”

_“I see you’re on the third floor. Main room is just above you. Can’t guarantee that our man’s in there. Be quick.”_

Shouts come from behind them. Jaehyun mumbles something through the earpiece and not a second later the spot where the Dragonaire men stood blows up, leaving gaping holes on the wall and on the floor, causing the men to fall below and hit the preceding floor with a chorus of sickening thuds. Slabs of flesh are strewn across the floor and on the walls as blood paints their walkway. Jaehyun notes the iron stench sticking to his clothes and watches Ten licking the substance off of the corner of his mouth.

He should be disgusted ㅡ but he isn’t.

They promptly follow Doyoung’s instructions. Successfully shooting the guards unconscious, Yuta refills his gun with bullets.

“I’ll check in here. Floor’s currently free and if I need help I’ll get Johnny. Backup surrounds the ground floor, will probably do their own thing in the annex so you and chocolate freak head to the remaining floors.”

“You sure?” Jaehyun cocks his gun. “I can let Ten-“

“Go,” Yuta grunts, inflamed. “Fucking Gold card underestimating me.”

Jaehyun snorts and beckons Ten to follow. His hair dances with the wind as they run down the hallway and up the stairs but nothing seems to make his stone face crumble. Jaehyun curses as another onslaught of gunmen appear, slightly regretting leaving Yuta as he hides and fishes out another magazine.

“Fuck- my arm stings I think I got a cut,”

Ten looks at him and without warning, moves to come out of their hiding spot. Jaehyun almost screams for him to get back but Ten only pulls out several blades attached to his hip and flings them all at once, faster than the bullets, quicker than the enemies could fathom. The knives impale their jugulars, splitting skin and cutting nerves. Blood squirts out of their pulses as Ten skids across the floor to quickly retrieve his knives, not without making sure they’re breathless as he pushes down past their flesh one last time.

The gut-wrenching sight of at least ten lifeless bodies makes Jaehyun dizzy, and the almost tangible aroma of copper fills his senses. Ten wipes the blood on his pants before quickly looking at Jaehyun as though he got lost in his own world for a bit, grinning roguishly. He places a hand under his chin and turns his head in an odd angle as he cracks his neck, the viscous blood of the enemy coloring his tongue crimson red when it slithers along the seams of his lips. Jaehyun later grasps that Ten had licked one the knives clean.

He looks utterly insane, like the murderer he was.

“You keep staring at me, dimple boy.”

Jaehyun is rooted on his spot. The familiar static of the Bluetooth earpiece fills his ear.

 _“Jaehyun, Yuta’s empty-handed. I ordered him to retreat. The others cleared the extensions_ _ㅡ_   _the Kingpin’s not there! It looks like_   _ㅡ_   _“_

“Well, well. What do we have here?”

Someone looking rather young dressed in a velvet suit stands before them. Sidestepping the corpses on the floor, the nameless man pulls out a gun and points at Jaehyun, completely disregarding Ten with a curt glance. “Did you do this?”

_Is this guy dumb, can’t he see the knives-_

_“_   _ㅡ_   _said to be out of the country. Get out of there now, Johnny’s going to blow the place up and Winwin’s burning down the annex! We’re only here to get someone and warn!”_

Doyoung’s voice drowns in the sea of his swarming thoughts. Jaehyun’s gun is empty, he’s still gripping the loaded magazine and if he so much as raises a hand, he’s dead.  

“What makes you think I did?” Jaehyun swiftly plugs the magazine and before either him or the nameless Dragonaire member register their own movements, a spark of silver glints against the light as it cuts through the air and stabs the enemy’s hand, effectively forcing him to drop the gun with a pained cry.

“Fuckingㅡ“

Ten props a foot up the wall and propels his weight forward in a blinding showcase of agility, landing in front of the injured man and drives the blade through his hand before wrenching it out without so much of a grimace. The cries grow louder as the man clutches his hand, desperately covering the wound.

“Come on, ‘am fucking hungry.” Ten lifts the slowly paling man and hauls him over his shoulder like a sack, walking past Jaehyun.

He remains there for a few seconds, noting the stinging of his arm and Doyoung’s vague shouts through the earpiece before running after Ten.

Jaehyun closes the door of the van behind him and Winwin speeds off before anyone could catch them. He settles on the seat and winces, alerting Taeyong about his injury. The nurse quickly works on his arm, cutting through the sleeve to wipe the blood off and disinfect the cut.

“The bullet just grazed your arm. Still lucky.” Taeyong mumbles and wraps gauze around Jaehyun’s bicep. “Come to the clinic to get it cleaned. Is anyone else harmed?”

No one else responds, thankfully. Yuta is knocked out in the backseat, exhausted. Doyoung is already writing a report to be sent to their Kingpin while Johnny and the others ㅡ minus Ten discuss just who the hell this person is they’re taking for hostage.

“He’s not in the records. I already checked. Perhaps a new member.” Doyoung says, brows furrowed as he chews on his lip. “Might still be helpful to dig for information regarding their plans for advancement.”

Jaehyun closes his eyes. Replaying the scenes from earlier, he feels his skin crawl when the image of the knife thrower sinking the blade down the enemy’s neck without so much as a twitch on his face flashes behind his eyelids. He admits, Ten’s skills are out of this world. He could beat the speed of a bullet and he’s got a deadly accuracy in his strikes. It’s like the blades are a part of him and when he moves, it is fluid like water.

What bothers him most is the lack of emotions. The lack of empathy and compassion are as natural as breathing in their profession. They smuggle, rake dirty money and sell people. But Ten is something else. Not a twitch of the eye, not a downward curl of his mouth, not a glower. Nothing. It’s though he’s an empty vessel of what used to be a human being.

He can feel the burning stare on the side of his face, but Jaehyun refuses to open his eyes. If he does, Ten would be looking at him with those soulless blue eyes that as creepy as they are, Jaehyun gets pulled right in. He can’t afford it, he won’t allow it. No one knows what goes on in the knife thrower’s head, and Jaehyun isn’t about to decode it. Not yet.

0o0o0

“There were two major entrances in the building that we have spotted. One in front and one in the back. The backdoors are obviously for packages and deliveries based on the two delivery vans parked outside and a few boxes sitting idly by the gates. The boxes were empty. The extensions on the left and right sides can only be entered through the main building. From what we saw, the drugs are in annex A and electronics are in annex B. Records are kept in the main office, but all the important people we expected were not around ㅡ we lately discovered the Kingpin and his subordinates flew overseas, specifically in Russia. There were no indications as to what they went there for. To make sure, the place had been blown up to prevent any more possible transactions, although we are still uncertain whether they have a backup hideout.” Doyoung faces them as he finishes the report. “There are no traces as of now of any plans to attack Red Phoenix.”

Namgyu glares at the screen, rubbing his chin in concentration. “Is it safe to say that we have put a stop to Dragonaire’s advances towards Garnet?”

“If they are keeping all significant data in the office that was particularly bombed to pieces, and the extensions that were set on fire, we can conclude that we’ve put quite a lot of damage on their operations.” The Gold card hacker clears his throat. “Furthermore, we’ve taken someone seemingly important to their organization. He’s not in their records, perhaps a means of protection. If Dragonaire’s keeping this person’s identity, might as well think that this man’s of value to them.”

“Where is he?” The Kingpin scans the room, eyeing the members of the current mission. “That man holds the answers to as how we can take down their leader.”

Jaehyun clicks his pen, shrugging. “He’s keeping Ten Chittaphon busy.”

Namgyu shakes his head almost as soon as Jaehyun says the foreigner’s name. “Go and check if the guy’s still breathing. I told you not to leave valuable things unattended, especially in Ten’s hands.”

“I thought he’s getting better?”

Namgyu scoffs and gestures Doyoung to pack his things, getting up to approach Moon Taeil for his schedule. “You’ll never know with that guy.”

***

“Are you sure you’re going there? We’ll ask someone else, one of the guards to keep an eye on him.” Johnny relays, concern written all over his face. “That shit’s nasty. I saw it once and I couldn’t sleep for days.”

“That’s probably because you’re weak for stuff like that,” Jaehyun playfully jabs and holds Johnny’s hand resting on his shoulder, dismissing the other’s worries. “I can handle myself. Besides, can someone really approach him without getting bashed to death? I told you, we actually talked back in the gym. He was harmless enough to me.”

Johnny clicks his tongue. “That’s still so weird, you know. You’re new. He’s playing favorites.”

“I’ll see you later. Don’t mind me.”

Jaehyun leaves before Johnny could even try his luck again. Racking his brain for the right direction to the torture room, Jaehyun picks up his pace and practically races down the hallway, catching the elevator. As he presses the floor number leading to where Ten’s doing his job, he receives a horrified look from the lady next to him. Jaehyun gives her a once over.

She’s dressed scantily with a skirt so short that if Jaehyun tilts his head a bit, he could see a shy peek of her buttocks. She’s wearing stilettos that will make annoying clacking against the floor once she walks and a blouse with the top two buttons open to reveal a definitely nice cleavage. Her lips are vibrant red and her hair is tied in a neat ponytail. Jaehyun raises a brow to appreciate the way her clothes emphasize her curves.

“Why are you going there?”

“I need to watch a friend. They’re kind of clumsy.” Jaehyun shrugs, finally taking his eyes off of her.

“Ten doesn’t have friends.” She deadpans, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “I haven’t seen you around before. I’m Risa.”

That gets Jaehyun’s attention back to her. “Risa Uehara? Ten’s girlfriend? Or not.” He smirks for good measure, letting her know that he  _knows_ her futile attempts to get in his pants. “People talk.”

Risa’s eyes roll so hard that Jaehyun fears them getting stuck in the back of her head for a moment. “He’s so stubborn. Always pushing me away. I think he’s just shy, you know. God, you’ve seen his face, right? Of course! Boys like him get extra sexy when they do bad things.” Her eyes literally sparkle as she daydreams about the knife thrower. “I’ll let him cut my leㅡ“

The elevator dings and Jaehyun quickly leaves, not really wanting to hear her next words. The door leading to the room is close. There are no windows to show the inside and Jaehyun curses under his breath, the wish of a slight preparation slipping through the gaps of his fingers. In all honesty, he has no idea what Ten does, how Ten does his job. Now, without even the smallest hole to witness what’s going on behind these walls, he knows he’s in for a wild ride. He had seen the way Ten pierced through those men. This will be far worse than that.

Jaehyun takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly before scanning his palm. The sound of the door unlocking accelerates his heart but he resists the urge to go back. When the door closes behind him, he instantly hears the sound of pained cries as they fill the room. They’re distant, coming from the end of the hall. Jaehyun follows its source, ending up in front of another door. This time, it’s only paper-thin walls that serve as a barrier between him and the scene he’s about to watch. Judging from the groans, moans and pleas coming from the inside, Jaehyun knows he’s about to see the real deal about Ten Chittaphon.

So he doesn’t waste another second.

What Jaehyun sees inside makes him retch.

There’s a pool of blood on the floor where the guy is tied to the toes. A rope circles his arms, preventing him from raising his limbs. The same is done to his legs down to his ankles rendering him immobile. His mouth is free but his eyes are not, his sense of sight blocked with a black fabric.

He’s naked from the waist down. There are innumerable cuts all over his bare skin, ranging from short to long, shallow to deep and Jaehyun finds it hard to spot a part without lacerations. His hair is matted with thick red and Jaehyun doesn’t need to know that the man was probably knocked against the hard ground several times for the scalp to split.

He’s still breathing, crying. That’s all that matters.

Ten rummages through a metal box. Whatever tools in there rattle with his careless searching. He doesn’t look at Jaehyun. That’s fine. He shall not see the mess Jaehyun made on the floor with his vomit.

Jaehyun feels dizzy. The stench of blood fills the room and it’s so strong, so metallic that even the exhaust fans do nothing to lessen the smell.

“You’re not supposed to kill him,” Jaehyun starts, hoping to get through the caramel-head. “You’re only tasked to ask information andㅡ“

“You’re not exactly in the position to tell me how to do my job. Do you tell a doctor how to do his surgery? You’re just the patient.” Ten pulls out a plier from the box and crouches next to the bloodied body, dragging it closer to him. His blue eyes travel to where Jaehyun is, staring at his pale face. “There’s a bucket in the corner. I’m not going to clean your shit.” He suddenly drops the plier next to the man’s head and bites down his fist, frowning. His body twitches for a few seconds and he bites down harder before releasing his fist. “Get me my cigs.”

Jaehyun stares.

“Get me my fucking cigs or I’ll nip your tongue and feed it to you, Jaehyun.”

“Smoking is bad for your health,” Jaehyun sits on the floor where it’s dry when his legs feel like giving up. “I’m staying here. I’ll be watching you so don’t you dare inflict further damage. We need him alive.”

Ten’s blue eyes harden and he picks up the plier again. Jaehyun takes note of his twitching hand and how unstable it is as he grasps the tool in his hold. Ten’s experiencing weird tics that Jaehyun cannot associate to anything. Is it excitement? Is it anxiety from an unwanted spectator? He rules it out. This deranged man would love to be watched doing his masterpiece. He probably gets off on it.

“Listen,” Ten grabs a handful of hair and yanks. “I promise I won’t hurt you more than this if you tell me about your plans.” His voice is unbelievably coy that it sickens Jaehyun. “I’ll remove these ropes, promise.” He dangles the plier in front of the man’s face, grinning. “See? I’ll cut it soon. Just cooperate with me.”

“He can’t see you, Ten.” Jaehyun grunts.  _The guy has lost it_. “He’s blindfolded, remember?”

“Shut up, fucker.” Ten hisses through gritted teeth and peers down sweetly on his toy. “Tell me about your Kingpin’s proposal to Garnet. You know Garnet, right? They’re your top target. We can’t let you do that, you see. So  _please,_ ” Ten leans down, whispering. “I don’t really want to plunge this down your eye. It’s gonna be so exciting. You won’t see it! You won’t know when I’ll do it, if I’m about to stab you, or where it dangles, if it’s close to you… Don’t make this hard for all of us.”

“ _Please…_  please stop, I’m begging you…” The man pleads, heaving. “I can’t take it anymore, just kill me.”

Ten lets out a dramatic gasp, clutching his shirt. “Did you just assume I’ll go easy on you? Kill you, just like that? Honey,” Shaking his head, Ten glances at Jaehyun and smirks as he responds to the helpless man in his mercy. “It doesn’t work that way.”

“So if you don’t spill it soon, I’d be forced to do things to you.” Ten presses the plier beneath the hostage’s chin, tilting his head. “Say what?”

The man doesn’t respond, merely shaking his head as he stubbornly keeps his mouth shut.  _Loyalty runs through this one’s blood,_  Jaehyun thinks to himself. If he’s put in the same position, he’s certain he’ll remain true to Red Phoenix even if it meant a slow, painful death.

But is there anyone else that can impose this amount of pain as much as Ten does?

A sigh escapes Ten’s lips before he lets go of the man’s hair, ignoring the sound it makes as it hits the soaked floor. Jaehyun keenly watches the knife thrower’s hand as they skim down the naked skin decorated with red gashes, how the worn body shudders beneath Ten’s fleeting fingertips. Suddenly, a hysteric cry refills the room, bouncing against the four walls as Ten dips his fingers right through the open wound on the man’s thigh, prodding the flesh inside.

“Stop! F-fuckㅡ stoooop! Get it out, please!” The man’s desperate cries fill Jaehyun’s ears and he quickly covers them with his hands yet his eyes remain on the delirious man.

Ten twists his fingers, pressing. “Since you asked so nicely,” He wrenches out his fingers and runs the same hand through his hair, staining the strands with red. Jaehyun itches to come over and wipe Ten’s hair clean, glaring at the abrupt distraction. “Will you talk now?”

The man only cries louder, curling up as if doing that would make him disappear from the hawk-eyes of his tormenter.

“I’m running out of fucking patience here.” Ten grabs the man’s jaw and pries his mouth open using the plier.

Jaehyun straightens, eyes wide. “Ten, donㅡ“

Another wave of agonized wailing knocks the wind out of Jaehyun’s lungs, his legs wobbling as life seems to drain out of him the same time the tortured hostage screams, begging. Ten flings a tooth away and nips one more, ripping it out of the man’s gum. Said man continues to beg, slurring his words as he gradually weakens and redness coats the inside of his mouth.

“Scream, alright, it sounds fucking good, like music to mㅡ“ Ten gets cut off as he feels the cold muzzle of a gun pressed hard against his temple. Jaehyun’s hand trembles, his eyes shaky as he stares at the face of Ten Chittaphon.

“Stop it. Now. Drop the fucking plier or I’ll shoot your fucking brains out.”

Ten stares forward as he lets the plier fall out of his grasp. Jaehyun kicks it away and grabs the front of Ten’s shirt, hauling him across the floor until they’re on a safe distance from the barely breathing man.

“Fuck right off!” Ten rips Jaehyun’s hand away from his shirt and glares daggers on the man towering over him. His chest heaves in anger and he bites down his hand, grunting.

“You fucking murderer,” Jaehyun sits over Ten’s waist, pinning him down. The gun finds its way between Ten’s eyes and Jaehyun’s hand stiffens as he fights the will to pull the trigger. “You’re going to kill him!”

“Ah so you know it. Who told you? That rabbit?” Ten’s body begins to shake as laughter bubbles out of his lips. “None of you trusts me.”

“Who would commit such a mistake?” Jaehyun cocks his gun and presses it harder between Ten’s eyes.

The blue-eyed man glances to the side. “Get me my cigaㅡ“

“That’s canㅡ“

“Get me my fucking cigarettes or I’ll kill you both.” Ten pushes himself into a sitting position and darts forward as though challenging Jaehyun to shoot. “You think you know who I am, what I can do, well newsflash, newbie. They’re scared of me for all the fucking reasons. Don’t commit the mistake of thinking otherwise.” He grabs the gun and maneuvers it to his awaiting mouth, pushing the muzzle in. Jaehyun watches his tongue flicker around the weapon.

“You’re crazy.” Jaehyun gets off and walks over to a stool, tossing the pack of cigarettes to Ten. He then fishes out his phone and dials a number, glowering at the smoker.

“Taeyong, I need you here in the torture room.”

***

Jaehyun steps out of the bathroom, freshly showered. This is the biggest difference of Red Phoenix from Invictus ㅡ they all have their own shower rooms. He doesn’t have to be wary of strangers checking him out when he washes up.

Drying his hair with a towel, Jaehyun grunts out an answer at whoever’s knocking on his door.

“I told you not to go there.” Johnny sits on the foot of his bed looking like he hadn’t gotten a good nap. “Taeyong told me how messy it was.”

“I made it out alive, okay? Just threw up a little. As embarrassing as it is.” Jaehyun puts on a pair of sweatpants and faded shirt, unceremoniously plopping on his bed after. “How’s he doing?”

“Brooding. A little out of it, to be honest. I think he’s smoked his second pack throughout the day. If he doesn’t stop he’ll die in give or take, two years.”

Jaehyun snorts, amusement dancing in his eyes as he bends a leg up and props an arm on it. “I was asking about the hostage.”

“Oh.” Instead of reddening, Johnny matches the amusement on Jaehyun’s face. “Thought you were asking about the crazy, pretty boy. The man’s sedated. He lost a lot of blood but he’s stable now. Taeyong does a really good job, you know. Should be promoted to being a doctor, no card.”

“It was scary, Johnny. I won’t lie, no sugarcoating. It was horrifying,  _barbaric_. It’s like he’s going to chop off the guy and eat him up, literally.” Jaehyun closes his eyes and sighs, trying not to replay the scene in his head. Instead he thinks of a familiar man with blue eyes, caramel hair parted on the side, long enough to flow down his chest and a cigarette clipped between thin, pink li–

“But I’m glad you still went there,” Jaehyun opens his eyes and meets Johnny’s surprisingly grateful ones. “The man won’t last long if it wasn’t for you. I’m a little apprehensive, though. He still has to get information out of that Dragonaire guy. We still don’t know his name, not even that. Ten almost killed him already and it’s just the first interrogation.”

“Can’t someone else do it?”

“That’s the only way for him to tame his urges. And boss required that he be watched each time. No one else would do it willingly more than once, you know.”

“Then why keep him here? Someone else can do his job in a more humane wayㅡ“

Johnny scoffs. “Humane, you say? If someone’s anything close to human here then they’re in the wrong profession. We dislike Ten, but no one else can do his job”

“I thought Red Phoenix was fully capable. If they can’t find someone better than Ten Chittaphon then I guess I should return to Invictus. We don’t-“

“You’re quitting because of Ten Chittaphon? Okay,” Johnny clears his throat and sighs, picking on the loose thread of his shirt. “He’s insane but he’s all Red Phoenix wants. He’s like all the Gold and Diamond cards combined. Just screwed in the head that’s why his work is limited. If he was clearheaded he could do this mission alone, trust me. The torture’s just to relieve the itch. He won’t kill if someone’s there to stop him and thanks to you, right?”

Jaehyun rubs a hand down his face, frustrated. “I just don’t want to bear witness to that again.” His gaze follows the aimless twisting and pulling of Johnny’s fingers on that thread. “We don’t even know if that man’s actually important to Dragonaire. Has their Kingpin made a move to reach us?”

“As of now, nothing from them. Probably still busy trying to save what they can from the ashes we left.”

Jaehyun grins in satisfaction. “They’ll know who they shall fear, right?”

“They already do.”

***

“Where’s he?”

Doyoung looks up from the laptop and everyone follows his line of sight. Winwin snorts before glancing at Yuta, slowly waving in front of his face. “Aye, we’re still here.”

Risa prances into the cafeteria, her hips swaying alluringly with the way she walks and sulks at the lack of Ten Chittaphon. “Don’t tell me he’s busy again? It’s only two days ago when he was working, right?”

“And he’s not yet done working. So if you want,” Yuta drawls, smirking. “You can sit with us first.”

Risa raises a brow, obviously considering the offer before giving in, taking the spot next to her fellow Japanese. “Only because he’s not around.”

“I’ll make sure he won’t be for a long time.” Yuta dares whisper in her ear, lips brushing tantalizingly on the lobe. “Pray tell, what do you see in him, hm? Bet I can do better.”

Jaehyun watches the shameless flirting and shakes his head, turning to Doyoung. “Any progress?”

“There’s a black dragon tattoo on the bottom of the man’s spine. The same tattoo found on their Kingpin’s nape. That can only mean our hostage is worth just as much. It won’t be long before they come for us personally.”

“Should I feel threatened?”

Doyoung eyes him over the laptop with a hum. “Maybe.”

“Where’s Johnny?” Winwin asks, eyes trained on the game he’s playing on his phone. “Is he with Taeyong?”

“Most likelyㅡ“ Jaehyun’s gaze automatically goes over to Ten who walks in, posture lackadaisical with a lollipop in his mouth. He’s dressed in the same black hoodie and track pants he’s seen wearing the day Jaehyun arrived. His hair is stylishly parted on the side exposing his forehead and the slit on his brow, the side tucked to display the array of silver earrings. Oddly, there isn’t a cigarette stick placed on his ear. He also braided the long tail of his tresses.

“Put him in a dress and he’d look like the princess you’d save from the witch.” Doyoung remarks offhandedly, taking Jaehyun aback. “You’re his knight in shining armor.”

“What are youㅡ“

“Tenyoooong~!” Risa sing-songs, pushing Yuta’s arm off her shoulders. Ten turns to her with nothing much but a single twitch of his eye, partly from irritation before gathering the box of banana milk he bought from the vending machine.

He takes his usual seat and Risa follows, leaving a sour trace on Yuta’s expression. She’s glued to his side in no time – yet in no time, she’s yelping as her butt hits the floor when Ten nudges her away. It certainly looks forced that even Yuta who’s genuinely interested in her looks amused at her misfortune.

“Come on,” She picks herself up, dignity forgotten as her arms circle Ten’s neck from behind, her cherry red lips pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Jaehyun pretends he’s not peeved.

“When will you stop resisting me?” She has the audacity to tug on his ear with her teeth, winking at the boys watching her. “I’ll make you feel good…”

Ten releases the candy with a loud ‘pop’, still looking straight ahead as he stabs the straw in the juice box. “You’ll make me feel good when I carve my name on your chest.”

Risa beams. She fucking  _beams_. “Oooh, I love a little bit of pa-“

“Before I wrench your heart out and feed it to the dogs.”

She visibly stiffens, slowly backing off with a wry smile. “That’s harsh, you know?”

“You really shouldn’t be questioning his life choices if you want him to dick you down, which from the looks of it, isn’t happening at all.” Jaehyun presses his lips in a firm line to stop the laughter bubbling in his chest. She looks scandalized to say the least, and Jaehyun fails to find it in himself to feel bad when she storms out. He guesses it’s completely fine when even Yuta’s doubling over against the table.

“Dude, what the hell! Johnny really missed that, huh?” Yuta’s still shaking and Winwin suffers it as the Japanese harshly slaps down his back, still highly amused.

Ten turns in his seat, facing their table. The straw is pressed down his bottom lip and the tip of his tongue pushes against it. It’s obviously a show – particularly for Jung Jaehyun.

The receiver of Ten Chittaphon’s unwarranted attention squirms in his seat.

“Would you like to be in her place instead, Jaehyun?”

“Ooooh,”

Jaehyun glares at Yuta before looking back at Ten. “Who said it’s me who’s gonna get dicked down?”

“Is that a challenge?” Ten asks, sounding genuinely curious.

“No. I’m not fucking a crazed runaway.”

Ten chuckles, putting the juice box down in lieu of sucking the lollipop again, lewdly pushing the candy on the inside of his cheek, mimicking the push and pull of a dick in his mouth. “Bet you’ll get your kicks on it, when someone dangerous like me is in your mercy, begging and whimpering for your big cock to pound my tight little ass…”

Jaehyun’s face heats up and he immediately takes his wide eyes away from the caramel-head, opting to glare at the back of Doyoung’s laptop. That was totally unexpected and he wasn’t ready for those  _filthy_ words to come out of Ten’s mouth.

Everyone in their table is slack-jawed.

“We’re not even starting yet, and you’re already losing.” Ten gets off his seat and leaves with nothing more, but the ignited fire in Jaehyun’s gut.

Winwin is the first one to close his mouth, blinking down his mobile game. His character died. “Well, I think that means let’s get back to work…?”

***

Jaehyun is yet again, late. Moon Taeil has a penchant for giving false information and expects them to get used to it. Well, everyone else is except Jaehyun.   

“Fuck,” Jaehyun rushes down the hallway, zipping up his pants. He’s about to make a turn when he spots a familiar brown mop of hair standing in front of the elevator shaking his hand, probably the tics, wondering where the hell Ten is going when there’s an emergency meeting. He pushes the thought aside as he continues on his way, receiving a look of disapproval from their boss.

He settles down and pats his chest, steadying his breathing.

“I’m expected to greet you a good morning but this day is anything but good. We finally received a message from Dragonaire,” Namgyu’s face hardens as he scans the room, glaring at an empty seat. “They identified the man we took as hostage.”

“Apparently, the man is not officially a member of their organization and had only happened to visit the HQ when the mission was done. But that does not mean he’s nothing to Dragonaire.”

The pounding headache Jaehyun sports at the moment peeves him further. He wants to hit the clinic and ask Taeyong for some medicine so he can finally go back to sleep. If only Namgyu stops being va–

“The hostage is Kim Jaeseok, the son of Kim Taejun, Dragonaire’s Kingpin.”

Everyone gawks. Doyoung quickly works his fingers over the keyboard of his laptop and searches through files, agitated. Jaehyun sees the clear signs of unease settle in the rest of them. He recalls what he had to go through a few days ago in the torture room and mentally pats himself for being able to stop the knife thrower from killing the man.

“Where’s Ten Chittaphon? I swear to God, he’s never going to commit fully to us.”

_Ten? I saw him heading somewhere. He was twitching, chewing his lip and he looked restle-_

Jaehyun’s heart stops.

“Shit.” He quickly shoots up from his seat, startling everyone as he storms out of the meeting room and takes the nearest flight of stairs. His lungs are already burning and the ache in his head pulses harder as he enters the room he swore he never wanted to visit again.

Just as he allowed himself to have a little bit of hope, Jaehyun falls down his knees, chest heaving.

There in front of him is Ten Chittaphon cradling the lifeless body of Kim Jaeseok, a bloodied knife buried on the base of his throat.

“Game Over.” Ten grins before pulling the knife out of the corpse.

Jaehyun stares and stares and he doesn’t know how long he’s been staring at the dead man’s body lovingly held by the killer himself before the door bursts open and the rest of their team comes in, wearing the same look of horror in their faces. Jaehyun feels himself get pulled up, later seeing that it is Doyoung’s hand clutching his arm as the others forcibly take the corpse out of Ten’s hold.

There isn’t much resistance from Ten when he let someone remove the body from his arms. The last thing he sees is Taeyong’s face before something pricks the side of his neck and he limps on the ground, sedated.

Doyoung pulls him out of the way as the men carried Kim Jaeseok’s body, and Johnny with Ten collapsed on his shoulder.

“Let’s go back to boss; we need to settle this ASAP.”

Jaehyun lets himself get dragged. He’s still zoning out even as they return to the office, only getting over the shock as their Kingpin takes his own seat with a defeated look.

“Sir, Dragonaire’s not going to take this well. We didn’t know–“

“Take him away.”

Jaehyun glances at Doyoung then back to Namgyu. “Sirㅡ“

“Take Ten Chittaphon away. Hide. We have a hideout ㅡ Taeil will email you the address. Take one of the cars and leave as soon as you finish packing. And that will start now. Fifteen minutes.”

He feels nothing but absolute confusion. Dread settles in Jaehyun’s stomach as what the boss suggests dawns on him.

“Are you telling me to run away and hide this fucking killer? I don’t care what happens to him ㅡ I’m not going to get tangled with his mess!”

“Dragonaire cannot find Ten, Jung Jaehyun. I suggest you best get ready. The car will be out and Ten will wait for you there.“

Jaehyun slams his hands down the table, enraged. “Why me? I don’t want to get involved! I’m not harboring a murderer!”

“Because you’re the only one capable of controlling him! This is not a request. This is an order. You will do as I say or I’ll void your membership and throw you back to Invictus.”

“That sounds favoㅡ“

“Jaehyun.” Namgyu approaches him, gripping his arms. “Do this for me. Keep my son out of this.”

 _Son. He called him his_   _ㅡ_

“Doyoung, please bring Jaehyun back to his room and help him pack. Ten’s things will be ready in the car.”

Doyoung shakily gets out of his seat and wordlessly drags Jaehyun again, cursing out loud as soon as they enter the latter’s room.

“Holy shit. No one fucking knows that.” Doyoung grabs a bag and frantically stuffs it with clothes, toiletries and whatever he finds in Jaehyun’s room. “I should’ve decoded that, right? He’s so protective of Ten Chittaphon. Hell, they even fucking look alike in some angles. How the hell did I miss that?” Doyoung closes the bag and pushes it in Jaehyun’s arms. “The hideout is complete of necessities. The only thing you have to do is watch him, make sure he’s not going to make this worse than he already did.”

“What about you guys? Dragonaire will come for youㅡ“

“We’ll handle ourselves. Red Phoenix didn’t earn its reputation for nothing. Here,” Doyoung hands him a phone. “That’s untraceable. That’s where I’m going to call you for updates. The place you’ll stay in doesn’t have an access to internet so keep that phone charged. I will also inform your father about this.”

Jaehyun hasn’t sunk in all of the information but he follows Doyoung again, padding down the hall and riding the elevator in silence and internal panic until they reach a black muscle car. He sees Ten in the backseat, knocked out cold with his arms, wrists and legs tied.

“Jaehyun.” Doyoung stops him. He tosses the bag in the shotgun seat and looks at the Gold card holder, jaw clenching. He’s so angry, infuriated about the whole situation. But he has no choice. He’s going into the lion’s territory.

“Be careful.”

Jaehyun nods and pats Doyoung’s shoulder before getting in the car. He takes a quick look at the man in the backseat before revving the engine and speeding down the road to escape their reality.

***

Jaehyun rolls the window down and lets the wind sift through the soft strands of his black hair. It’s rather chilly as it hits his face but he keeps it that way, feeling the atmosphere rather stuffy when the windows are close and the cool air-conditioner blasts maximum. They’ve been on the road for almost two hours and if the row of trees and lack of modern houses conclude something, Jaehyun can tell that they’re now far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, especially the HQ.

The shade that the trees offer is pleasant, giving off a natural glow and breeze. His mind still buzzes with thoughts – questions about their safety,  _his_ safety, and the future. He doesn’t know what lies ahead of them. They’re going to live far away from the life they were born into, and forced to put a mask on every waking day. Worse, Jaehyun has to suck it up and get through this with the very core of the problem and pretend that this is not even remotely close to distressing.

Guess he just needs to keep one eye open during his sleep just in case Ten Chittaphon decides he’s bored again and Jaehyun will be his newest plaything.

“Nng…”

Jaehyun glimpses through the rearview mirror.

Ten rouses from his sleep, bleary vision registering the trees zooming past outside. He watches more trees move and attempts to sit up, only to be welcomed by the sight of him tied raptly. His head pounds.

“If you try to escape I’m going to crash this car and leave you alone.”

“Fuck. Where the fuck are we,” Ten struggles to turn on his side, wincing. “I fucking see trees I think we’re not in Korea anymore.”

“Idiot. Are you that dumb? Shut up and take some more sleep. We still got half an hour down the road.”

“So we’re out of civilization.”

Jaehyun chooses not to respond. He takes another look through the mirror and scoffs at the sight of Ten knocked out again.

***

The car stops in front of the cabin. There’s no garage so the Gold card has to leave the car on the side of the road. It’s not going to cause any hindrance to travelers since the place doesn’t look like people would spend their vacation there. Ten’s right, though. It looks like they’re going to have to suffer for a bit ㅡ or until this ludicrous state they’re in is over.

He opens the door of the backseat and starts to pull the body out, waking Ten.

“Heyㅡ don’t fucking touch me I can walk by myself!”

Jaehyun frowns, letting go of Ten to grab their bags instead. “Fine. Wiggle your way into the cabin.”

“Whatㅡ hey!”

He leaves the car door open and enters their temporary home, quickly wincing at the fact that he actually called it  _home._ There’s only one bedroom and he drops both of their bags on the mattress before heading to the small kitchen, pleased that the fridge’s stocked. Someone’s regularly coming here to keep it clean, possibly. The bathroom is small, but complete with a bar of soap, shampoo and toothpaste. There’s a mini television set, the antique kind with one or two channels most likely news outlets. Opposite the TV is a couch fit for two people that Jaehyun assumes will be his bed since he will never even think of sleeping next to the other man.

All in all the place is livable, its only disadvantage being the lack of internet connection. Fair enough. They can be traced if they use the Wi-Fi.

His stomach grumbles, reminding him that he hasn’t eaten anything yet since being unexpectedly shaken awake by Moon Taeil. He also doesn’t have the energy to make himself a good meal so he takes out a box of cereal from the cupboard and pours it in a bowl, filling it with milk.

He had just settled on the table when Ten’s pitiful form worms its way through the front door, clothes soiled with dried leaves stuck to his hair. He’s also killing Jaehyun with his glare.

“You fuckin’ asshole, untie me! When I get ahold of Jesus H. Christ I’m going to strangle you!”

Jaehyun watches Ten squirm on the ground, biting down the head of his spoon to stop himself from laughing. “You really think he’s going to side with you, no?”

“Untie me.”

Jaehyun begrudgingly leaves his cereal and picks up a kitchen knife before crouching next to Ten, cutting the ropes. Once the other’s free he closes the front door and silently returns to his food to fill his stomach. In times like this, cereal suddenly tastes better than the pasta in a five-star restaurant. He’s so hungry that it gives him an illusion of flavors bursting in his mouth.

“If you’re done brooding, there’s still cereal. Come before I finish it all.”

Ten surprisingly foregoes any sort of protest, quietly padding across to take the other stool opposite Jaehyun. Jaehyun sighs and grabs a clean bowl as well as a spoon, filling it with cereal and milk before giving it to Ten. He then dumps his empty bowl in the sink and washes it, putting it in the rack to dry.

Jaehyun turns around, leaning against the sink with arms crossed over his chest, exhaustion etched on his face. “You’re not allowed to go out without my supervision. You’re going to stay inside this house 24/7 and if you need fresh air I will be tailing you. You’re not allowed to keep a knife. I’ll allow you to smoke ㅡ I don’t wanna deal with a nasty withdrawal. I’ll lock all sharp objects in a cabinet; let me see you try biting the padlock off.”

“I’m not fucking crazy,” Ten drops the spoon in his bowl and it clatters loudly. “I know the degree of this situation so you don’t need to treat me like a fucking mental.”

“I wish I could believe you after that stunt you pulled off in Red Phoenix.”

Ten’s hands ball into fists, shaking. “You don’t even know why I did it.”

“Do I have to know?” Jaehyun carefully approaches him and plucks out the leaves on his hair. “I don’t think I need you telling me it’s because you get all twitchy and restless when you can’t tame the urges. It’s inexcusable. You didn’t have to fucking kill him, Ten. Now Red Phoenix will be in a state of chaos. Dragonaire is going to eliminate every single one of us because you murdered their Kingpin’s heir.”

They hold an eye contact, both refusing to break it first. Jaehyun forces himself to stare back into those deep blue eyes. Something flashes across them before Ten admits defeat and fills his mouth with the soggy cereal.

“No one fucking asks.”

For some reason, the words strike Jaehyun’s heart, shattering it into pieces. He understands that Ten must have experienced a rough childhood or something that goes along those lines. Some children are emotionally sensitive and grow feeling and thinking they’re inept. He can’t even question their boss why he never put Ten in a mental health facility. The older man probably cares more about his reputation and the risk of outing his identity if someone outside of their world knows even just the tiniest bit of personal information, worse when the clue is a psychopath son.

He actually wants to ask. Jaehyun wants to know why Ten killed Jaeseok. But he’s afraid that if he delves deeper into it, he won’t be able to rise up. Someone like Ten can be manipulative. He needs to be wary of every little thing that comes out of Ten’s mouth, since there’s a high probability that all of it will turn out to be a lie.

“Take a shower after you finish eating. You look like shit.”

“And whose fault is that?” Ten peers at him, a few strands of his caramel hair falling over his eyes. “Making me crawl like a frickin’ worm? Sadist bitch.”

With a loud sigh, Jaehyun leaves the kitchen to actually clean himself up. It was too damn early when he was drawn out of sleep.

He locks the door of the bathroom when he gets in, immediately peeling off his clothes and stepping into the shower stall. The water’s warm as it cascades down his body. He finds himself staring down the floor and watching the water drain, suddenly seeing red and thinking of the scene in the torture room. Jaehyun lets his head hit the wall, ignoring the dull throb of his skull.

In his whole 24 years of living, Jaehyun had only wanted to be of service to his father, be the son his family would take pride in, be the leader his future people would depend on. He believed the concept that he is capable of anything, prided himself with past achievements and success under his name, only to plunge to the bottom when he fails to prevent the storm from raining down.

He thought he could handle the enigma that is Ten Chittaphon. He thought he had the man figured out from the bits of information from Doyoung, thought he understood it all, only to be given the horror of his life. He vowed to fight, not hide. Maybe he had gotten too arrogant, raised his head higher than the clouds.

If this is an obstacle, then he has to conquer it. He’s going to keep Ten Chittaphon from destroying all that he had worked hard for.

Jaehyun grabs the shampoo and furiously scrubs through his hair, massaging his scalp thoroughly as though the harsh action would erase the anxiety-inducing thoughts gnawing at the back of his mind. He soaps up quickly and stands under the shower again to let the water wash the suds away before turning the knob, drying himself with a clean towel kept in the cabinet. He gets out of the bathroom with Ten still at the kitchen, staring blankly into space. Taking that opportunity, he gets dressed while the other’s attention is scattered, coming back to take the now empty bowl into the sink.

“Let’s talk about sleeping arrangements,” Jaehyun starts while towel-drying his hair. “There’s only one bed.”

“Just put me where there’s no sharp object that I can use to cut through your artery, I’m going to be fine.”

Jaehyun watches him move around, searching. His eyes roll when Ten takes out a handful of candy from the fridge, stuffing some in his pocket and quickly unwrapping one with a childish glow on his face. “I’m keeping everything where you can’t take them.”

“Sure. Let’s pretend I haven’t been here before and I don’t know every nook and cranny of this cabin. But mark my words, I’ll behave.” The candy rolls in the pocket of his cheek, sweet slick coating his mouth. “Isn’t that your job now? Making sure the bad boy behaves himself.”

The will to run his hand through those caramel locks, grab it and yank the owner’s head back to he could keep that nasty mouth shut with his own travels through the fibers of Jaehyun’s body, electrifying the tips of his fingers with a dull heat accompanying it in the bottom of his stomach. They engage in an eye contact and he doesn’t back down this time, weighing his options and ending up with two: one, the more logical choice which is leave Ten alone and not to indulge him with the thought of getting on Jaehyun’s nerves or two, the more foolish one that he had initially considered that will surely end up badly.

Ten raises a brow and cuts the invisible string connecting them both before it could shrink shorter, opting to feed himself another candy and tossing the wrapper in the bin. He walks past Jaehyun with the slightest brush of his shoulder against the latter’s, sending a tingling sensation he’s unaware of up Jaehyun’s spine.

He doesn’t see the color of Jaehyun’s cheeks changing when he enters the bathroom and locks himself in for the next few minutes.

***

Their first night in the cabin passed by rather uneventful ㅡ Jaehyun ended up taking the couch and curling up uncomfortably through the night. He didn’t get much sleep despite feeling tired. His mind whirred with thoughts and courses of action he would need to prepare just in case they’d get found.

No sound came from the bedroom. Jaehyun deduced that Ten must be sleeping or smoking judging from the faint scent of cigarette emanating from the slit at the bottom of the bedroom door. Smoking’s okay, he allowed Ten the freedom to ruin his lungs and eventually his, too, fuck secondhand smoking.

All objects that might impose harm had been locked in a cabinet at the kitchen. They’d have to buy some disposable plastic utensils and plates. Who knows if Ten goes berserk and breaks the wares – at this point, anything can be a potential weapon.

His handgun is pressed against his hip. Jaehyun needs it every second for all the thinkable reasons. They need protection from Dragonaire, and he needs protection from the man he’s ironically protecting.

The sun had raised high into the East when Jaehyun gets up, rolling his shoulders and bending his neck side to side. They produce a worrying sound of crack, albeit giving a wash of relief. The road’s empty when he peeks outside through the old, thick curtain covering the front window. There are no other houses close to theirs and the nearest market is thirty minutes away. They’re practically in the woods right now ㅡ maybe Jaehyun needs to look out for wild animals sneaking into their place instead.

God, he hates snakes.

He’s in the middle of making pancakes when Ten pads into the kitchen, looking like he doesn’t really want to get up with his eyes half-closed and hair wildly standing into different directions. Jaehyun notes the different set of clothes ㅡ blue jeans and white shirt, a far cry from what he’s always seen wearing back in the HQ.

Nonetheless, he still looks too attractive for his own good.

Ten sits on the stool and slumps over the table, groaning.

“If you’re going to mop around like that for the entire day then please do us both a favor and go back to the room.”

“I’m hungry. Don’t be mean to me or I’ll chew those cigs you hate so much.” Ten peers over at Jaehyun, nose scrunching at the scent of breakfast. “That’s better than eating cancer sticks. What did my cigs even do to you, Jaehyun?” He drawls, words a little slurred as sleep attempts to pull him back. “Leave them alone…”

Jaehyun snorts, amused at the display of an unguarded Ten. He piles the pancakes on a single plate and hands Ten a spoon.

“Dumbass, you eat pancakes with fork and knife.”

“I don’t trust you around forks and knives. Come on; don’t act like you didn’t eat scraps with your bare hands before Red Phoenix took you in.”

“That was such a hard life, you know. People kicking you out when you just want to ask for some fucking food. Even soju would’ve worked during the cold nights.” Ten huffs and stuffs his mouth full. “Went into this club one night, the bouncer was too grumpy to give a fuck about who enters ㅡ I went straight to the bar and asked for a drink ‘cause I was so fuckin’ thirsty, yeah. But I wasn’t informed I had to have moneyㅡ“

“You need money to buy a drink, Ten.” Jaehyun deadpans.

“But I had none, you see. I ran away from home with a single loaf of bread slapped with some jam, and damn that tasted stale. Been walking around aimlessly for weeks, I was fucking starving and would people hire a homeless blue-eyed freak like me, like what y’all call me?” Ten waves dismissively, some bits of chewed pancake falling off of his mouth that Jaehyun wipes off with some tissue. “So I got no money, alright. These two bastards pushed me outta their way, the fuckin’ nerve they had. I lost it. I just lost it. I was homeless, starving, I didn’t wanna fuckin’ die just like that so I poured out all of my frustration onto those gents ㅡ may they rest in peace.” 

“Those were the ones whose skull you bashed open with a bottle.” Jaehyun looks ahead, pancake dangling on his spoon.

Ten grins. “Did Doyoung really tell you everything? Nah, can’t be. No one knew I’m that asshole’s son. So I guess you still don’t know anything about me. Kind of a downer, huh?”

Jaehyun glances down his pancake and realizes he hasn’t poured some syrup on it. Ten doesn’t seem to have a problem without it. He grabs the bottle of syrup from the counter and squirts an abundance of it over his pancakes. “Wipe that smug look off of your face, please. You’re not that interesting.”

“Oooh,” Ten teases, wiggling his brows. “I like the sound of  _please_ coming from you. It didn’t sound  _that_ pleasing coming from whoever I killed. Must have been someone huge if you’re going through this with me.”

The weight of their situation falls over him like bricks, reminding Jaehyun of the problem they’re evading. “That’s Kim Jaeseok. Son of Kim Taejun ㅡ Dragonaire’s Kingpin. I already told you.” He stuffs the last bit of pancake in his mouth and chews once, twice, thrice before swallowing. It grazes down his throat swiftly. “Do you now understand what your actions brought upon Red Phoenix? Bet you know what awaits us. You got 220 on your brain.”

Ten’s chewing slows down and his huge eyes stare unblinkingly at Jaehyun. “They’re coming for me.”

Jaehyun mimics the sound of  _Ding Dong Daeng,_  caressing the other’s ego in jest. “Correct! As much as I hate it, I gotta keep us both hidden away ㅡ especially you. God,” Groaning, Jaehyun dumps his spoon in the sink and opens the fridge, mindlessly scanning its content. “I hate this predicament.”

“Do you really?” Ten says after a short pause, playing with his pancake.

“What?” Jaehyun gets a bottle of water and chugs half of it, covering his mouth with a hand to muffle the sound of his burping.

“Do you really hate thisㅡhate me. If I were you, I wouldn’t be doing this. Namgyu would forgive you, you know. If you decided to–“

“No stop, stop. Don’t go there.” Jaehyun puts the bottle on the table and chuckles sardonically. “You’re guilt tripping me.”

Ten makes a move to stand up, looking genuinely misunderstood but before he could say something, Jaehyun already chimes in.

“I don’t hate you. Let’s be clear about that one. What I hate is this situation we’re in - I’m in. I strongly dislike you, that’s expected of me, but hatred is too strong, much too strong and best believe if I hated you I’d already be wasting one of my bullets. Get that through your skull, you’re supposed to read people better than anyone else.”

“It reeks off of you. I must have gotten careless to assume you harbored such negative emotions for me.” Ten begins tapping the head of the spoon on the edge of the plate, occasionally scratching and the sound makes Jaehyun grit his teeth. “But you’re lying.”

“Lying about what.”

“You don’t hate me, but you don’t dislike me either.” Ten smiles and pulls out a pack of cigarettes from his jeans, quickly lighting one stick and inhaling. The base of his throat hollows from the action, a sight Jaehyun didn’t miss. “When you finally admit that you find me interesting, maybe I’d show you  _why_  you think I’m interesting.”

Jaehyun’s slack-jawed as Ten coyly winks at him before hauling his ass out of the kitchen, choosing to lounge on the couch. He seems focused on the news when he turns on the TV but Jaehyun can’t confirm that. His brain is fried at the moment. Ten is an infuriating, arrogant flirt who thinks he has Jaehyun wrapped around his pinky just with some innuendos. Jaehyun isn’t sure of what he wants now – the crazed Ten or  _this_ kind of Ten. Perhaps he’s not coming out alive by the end of this elusion if Ten continues to spout such nonsense at him.

_Cut it out, Jung Jaehyun. He’s just manipulating you. He’s an insufferable psychopath._

“That word stings. I’d rather be called a misanthropist.”

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

Ten doesn’t answer. Jaehyun washes their used plate and spoons with a scowl.

“We have to go to the market. Need to buy some plastic utensils.”

“You’re hell-bent on that agenda of yours.” Ten puffs out a cloud of smoke, tapping the butt of the stick on the side and Jaehyun snarls as the ash scatters on the floor.

Jesus, give him strength to get through this day without wrapping his hands around Ten Chittaphon’s neck.

***

“Wait, slow down,” Ten taps Jaehyun’s arm once, poking his head out the window. The wind blows through his tresses, and the strands sway wildly in the air. The overgrown mullet isn’t tied and Jaehyun kind of wants to pull Ten back to his seat by grabbing the long ends of his hair and tugging the man down.

He holds it back.

“What,” Jaehyun asks but slows down anyway, steering the vehicle to the side and stops in front of a lone record store. They’ve been driving for twenty minutes, more or less. Ten quickly gets off the car, startling Jaehyun who scrambles to follow him inside the store, glancing once to check if it’s fine to leave the car outside. Anyway, he has the key, so.

“This isn’t the supermarket, Ten.” Jaehyun hisses lowly, finding his spot right behind the caramel-head. They can’t afford anyone listening in on them and knowing who they are. “Let’s go.”

“No no no, no harm in doing this for a bit.” The record store isn’t huge ㅡ it only has two shelves of display, some of them of magazines and newspapers. Jaehyun furtively glances at the counter where the cashier, a boy who looks like he’s in teenage years discreetly follow the two customers with his eyes, half of his face hidden behind a book turned upside down.

Ten picks out a record, Celine Dion’s greatest hits. Her face is on the whole cover, brows shaved too thin and lips glossy. It’s the early 2000s makeup style, Jaehyun muses. Not like he knows one or two about makeups. The vinyl record returns to its place back in the shelf and Jaehyun bears with Ten’s fickle mind, pulling out discs only to put it back on the shelf.

The cashier boy continues to give them an eye. Jaehyun takes a step back ㅡ the boy doesn’t look his way.

_He’s eyeing Ten._

He’s uncertain whether it’s a good or a bad thing, or neutral. Bad if Dragonaire had already traced them and left a photo of Ten so civilians could report back to them – though that’s unlikely, since there’s nothing with them that is easily traceable. The cabin is also just one of the many hideouts Red Phoenix has. Good if the boy’s merely fascinated by Ten’s good looks and utterly distracted, something that may give them advantage. Maybe a 10% discount on any item?

And neutral ㅡ the boy might just be curious and asking himself why Ten would even commit the mistake of growing a mullet THAT long and refuse to cut it.

The thought of Ten cutting his beautiful hair doesn’t sit well with Jaehyun.

“Can you buy this for me?” Ten cuts through his thoughts, showing him a vinyl record of Michael Jackson.

_At least he’s got taste._

Jaehyun shrugs and beckons Ten to the counter with a curl of his finger. The cashier boy quickly schools his expression and puts the book away, greeting the customers halfheartedly as Jaehyun pulls out a credit card from one of his breast pockets.

“Where did you get that?”

“Saw it in your bag. Probably your father’s order. You think it’s unlimited?” Jaehyun hands the card to the cashier boy whose eyes are having difficulty focusing on scanning the barcode on the disk.

“Who cares? Drain it to zero if we can. Not our problem if the bank suspects shit.” Ten hands the card back to Jaehyun once it’s paid and refuses the use of a plastic bag for the disc, murmuring something about non-biodegradable and its harm to sea animals as he tucks the item under his arm. His fingers had brushed ever so lightly over the cashier boy’s and Jaehyun scoffs, tone cold when he tells Ten to drag his ass back into the car.

Ten bends his legs, crouching on his seat with his knees pressed against his chest. His fingers drum over the ripped fabric of his jeans, head tilting from side to side every now and then. Jaehyun gives a few short glances, not wanting to take his eyes off the road.

“What’s up? You’re acting weird.”

“I ran out of cigs. This morning was the last one.” He raises the disc over his head, tilting back while he inspects the cover. “How long before we get to the market?”

Jaehyun pulls out the phone Doyoung had given him, quickly catching a glimpse of the time. “8 minutes. It’s still morning, technically. You sure you wanna burn your lungs again?”

“What is it to you? The sooner I die, the sooner this ends. Favorable, right?” Ten peeks inside the case, grinning. “Have you seen the record player under the TV?”

“Uh, no… We have one?”

“Do you think I’ll make you buy this if we didn’t? Dumbfuck.” Ten tosses the disc in the backseat, looking quite pleased but still twitchy when Jaehyun didn’t respond.

The knife thrower is about to succumb to the spell of sleep when they finally park at the supermarket. Jaehyun nearly drags him out of the car when he refuses to budge, complaining about the other being ‘ _a pain in the butt!’_. He’s rightfully ignored in favor of filling the grocery basket with disposable spoons and plates, a roll of tissue and a pack of cigarettes. Only then at the sight of it he straightens, lessening Jaehyun’s burden.

“What else do you want?”

Ten points at a bag of candies, and another, and another before Jaehyun tears the tooth-rotting snack out of his grip and tosses it back in the shelf. The supermarket’s empty – except for a granny waiting at the pharmacy section.

Something catches Jaehyun’s attention and he immediately picks it up, showing the box to his companion.

“Hair dye.” Ten reads the label. “I don’t think burgundy suits you.”

Jaehyun drops the box in the basket and shrugs. “What do you think suits me? And that’s not for me. It’s for you.”

“The fuck are you on? You wanna play hairstylist with me?” Blue eyes glare at Jaehyun’s side profile, burning holes on it. “I’ve never dyed my hair before.”

“I think any shade of red suits you. Well you’re doing it now. You haven’t answered my question, too.”

“Ash blonde. Blonde. Red, too.”

Jaehyun jerks a little bit as Ten’s hand runs through his black hair, gently tugging the strands. It feels oddly nice but he tilts his head away, frowning. Ten doesn’t say a word, doesn’t show if Jaehyun’s action offended him. His face is back to that disturbingly straight one, completely unreadable.

The old lady’s gone when they pay for their items. While their goods are being scanned, Jaehyun checks the phone for any incoming call or message, finding that there’s still nothing from the HQ. He doesn’t know if he should worry, but a word or two from them would be nice. 

***

Ten quickly grabs the record player and true to his words, it’s actually beneath the TV, Jaehyun just missed it. The caramel-head quickly plugs it and sets the disc on, carefully putting the stylus over its periphery and soon, the soothing melody of jazz fills the cabin as  _Rock With You_ plays, and Ten instantly grooves to the music, uncaring of his only audience.

“I didn’t know you could dance,” Jaehyun sets the plastic bag on the table, eyes darting over Ten’s hips.

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.” Ten turns, smoothly halting as he looks at Jaehyun for a few seconds before moving again, sharp and precise, and fluid at the same time. His moves remind Jaehyun of a fish swimming against the current of the deep blue sea, light and natural.

“Like what?” Jaehyun dares, now focusing on the task of putting the grocers in their right places.

Ten hums, head bobbing to the beat while he follows every movement of the sharpshooter. He eventually plops on the couch, arm resting over the backrest and one of his legs is crossed over the other. “Like how I know when people hide things. Things that are most probably too embarrassing to admit so they keep it inside but you know what they say, Jaehyun? The eyes are the windows to the soul ㅡ and mind, I’m telling you. Wanna know what I think you’re hiding?”

Jaehyun closes the fridge and sits next to Ten, openly staring into the pair of azure eyes. “Yeah? What am I hiding?”

 _Rock With You_  ends, though they don’t notice it. Ten twirls a lock of hair around his index as his gaze travels down, stopping on Jaehyun’s slightly parted lips. They look so full and so inviting.

“I think you’re in denial.”

Jaehyun leans back, startled. “In denial. Care to elaborate?”

“You watch me more than necessary. I always feel your eyes on me, whenever you think I don’t know. Ever since the day you arrived in Red Phoenix. You were staring at me in the gym. Your eyes are on me, more specifically on my lips when I eat.”

“I have to watch you so you don’t do anything stupid.”

Ten scoffs, putting a little distance between him and Jaehyun. “What’s in my skull? 220. I know a fixation when I see it.”

“Fixation. Fixation on what, you? Ridiculous.” Jaehyun shakes his head with an airy chuckle. “You should work on those mindreading skills of yours.”

“I don’t read minds, I read actions.”

“You remind me of someone,” Jaehyun lips purse in thought, eyes turning into slits. “Risa Uehara.”

Ten shifts his body to the side to face Jaehyun, scandalized. “Are you shitting me? No way do I remind people of that persistent leech.”

“Justㅡ just the hair twirling you did. I think I saw her do that. Can’t really remember when. Maybe she picked that up from you; you know how obsessed she is with you, right?” The memory of her falling pathetically on her butt makes Jaehyun snort, and he quickly fights back the series of laughter bubbling in his chest. “Yuta hates your guts, by the way. Because he’s not getting laid. He’s eyeing Risa.”

“That bitch thinks I’m intriguing and that makes me hot. Her words, not mine.” Ten talks about her with so much disgust it’s almost funny. “I wasn’t there to fuck, alright. Nakamoto can have her for all I care.”

“She also told me something the first time we met,” Jaehyun smirks, highly amused about the grossed out expressions flashing across Ten’s face. “She said you don’t have friends. It was the day I went to the…the torture room.” Light shiver runs down Jaehyun’s skin, and he immediately shakes the thought off. “Told her I was visiting a friend.”

“Well, she wasn’t wrong.” Ten stares into a pair of black eyes, lasting several seconds before facing towards the TV. “But now I’ll have to refute that claim.”

Jaehyun hums, pressing.

“Because you’re a friend to me now, Jaehyun. You’re my first friend.”

Jaehyun stills, heart racing. Ten sounds uncharacteristically solemn. He wants to make the other look at him so he could search his eyes for any trace of deceit, but he doesn’t know what might happen if he grabs that perfectly sculpted face and pulls it close to his. He has in idea and he won’t welcome it. It’s supposed to make him shudder in revulsion, but he doesn’t.

“I guess you want further explanation. All I can say is no one else in Red Phoenix is half as interesting as you. When you joined the organization, you watched me instead of listening to your friend, that giant Johnny. I knew he was telling you shit about me. You didn’t leave the gym when you found me there, something everyone else does the second they sense my presence. You may dislike me like what you said, but  _this_ is the longest interaction I’ve made with anyone in years. Fine, I’m a psychopath, crackhead, freak ㅡ call me whatever you want. I hate people and I won’t stop hating people, but I’ll make an exception for you.”

“That’s…” Jaehyun clears his throat, utterly shocked and speechless from the sudden confession. Ten had been nothing but  _mad_ and impossible and Jaehyun’s headaches mostly rooted from his existence. This sincerity is too intimate and he wasn’t prepared.

“Keep it.” Ten gets off the couch and grabs his new pack of cigarettes. “That expects none from you.” He disappears behind the door of the bedroom, leaving Jaehyun on the couch to ask himself what the hell just transpired between them.

***

“Nice view.”

Jaehyun glances to his side and sees Ten with an insufferable smirk, a stick of cigarette casually pinched at the corner of his mouth. It’s unlit. Ten’s eyes rake down Jaehyun’s form as the other hovers over the hood of the car, checking inside. It’s hot, literally ㅡ the machine releasing a sizzling steam when Jaehyun doused it with water. The steam rises and hits the sharpshooter’s face which is already marred with some grease. His hair is a whole mess and he’s only wearing a body-fitting tee exposing his sweaty arms. Jaehyun looks like he ran a marathon.

“Hot fuckin’ mess.”

The heat of the sun beats down Jaehyun’s form, beads of sweat forming on his forehead before sliding down his brow, stinging his eye when the salty liquid mercilessly lands on it. He quickly pulls back, closing the hood before grabbing the rag on the roof to wipe off the grease on his face.

“I’m starting to think of the real reason why you keep rejecting Uehara,” Jaehyun walks around the car, opening the compartment to chuck the tools back inside, closing it with a thump. Ten stays where he is but his eyes follow wherever Jaehyun goes.

“You’re assuming things. I just know how to appreciate a meal when it’s offered.” Ten shakes the box of hair dye apathetically. “It’s been sitting in the bathroom for days. Thought it’s time for me to give it a shot.”

Jaehyun snatches it from his grasp and skims over the instruction, nodding. “Fine. Let me just clean up.” He pushes the box against Ten’s chest and stalks to the bathroom, quickly tearing the filthy shirt off of him, shrieking in surprise as Ten joins him inside and closes the door.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Figured I’d save time ㅡ waiting’s a bitch.” Ten says all so nonchalantly, taking off his shirt and exposing the lines of tattoos on his skin. A phoenix with its wings spread wide is inked on the expanse of his chest. There are words littering his right flank and on his back are letters dropping down the length of his spine, disappearing under the waistband of his pants.

Jaehyun shamelessly takes in the sight, whistling softly when Ten turns around to sit on a bench.

“Can’t I wash up first?” Jaehyun supposes it’s fine to get naked, trusting the other won’t pull a stunt and voyeur. He notes the way Ten stiffens as the last bit of Jaehyun’s clothing is chucked to the hamper. He doesn’t turn his head to steal a glimpse.

The Gold card shooter gets under the shower head, turning the knob and moaning lowly as hot water pours over him, washing off the grime and relaxing his tensed muscles. Ten still doesn’t move while the other soaps up and shampoos his hair, even when he’s done with all of that and is simply brushing his teeth, clean towel now concealing his lower region.

“I’m turning catatonic.”

“Who told you not to move anyway?” Jaehyun spits out the foam and gargles, rinsing his toothbrush before putting it back in the cup. He reaches over Ten’s shoulder, bare skin grazing Ten’s as he takes the hair dye.

After reading the steps to follow, Jaehyun sprays water over Ten’s head, dampening the hair just right before wearing the plastic gloves and squirting the red liquid on the mop of hair, tossing it in the bin when it’s empty and combs his fingers through Ten’s tresses, spreading the color from the scalp and down to the tips. There’s an abundant red on the top of his head and Jaehyun scoops it so he can apply it on the longer strands running down Ten’s back.

“Does your scalp sting?”

“A little. Is it a good thing?” Ten looks a little to the right, watching Jaehyun from his periphery.

“I’m not sure. Let’s hope this turns out nice.”

Jaehyun collects Ten’s long hair and dumps it on top of the other’s head so the dye doesn’t stick to his skin. He puts the free cap on to keep the hair in place and disposes the gloves, patting Ten’s shoulder, his hand lingering on the naked skin suspiciously.

“Wait for 30 minutes before rinsing to make sure it sticks. Show me when you’re done.”

***

He’s slouched on the couch, tossing Cheetos in his mouth while the newscaster’s robotic voice echoes from the TV when Ten comes out, only wrapped in a towel. His hair’s now blood red ㅡ it will fade a little as the days go by and remain its intended shade for a month or two. Jaehyun waits until the other’s completely dressed and sat comfortably next to him before reaching over to touch the wet, crimson strands.

“It’ll be more striking under the sun,” Jaehyun scans the other’s face and nods approvingly. “Looks good on you, I wonder what Risa’s going to do when she sees you again. Probably wet her pants.”

“Fuck off,” Ten swats his hand away and steals the bag of Cheetos. “It feels different. Got used to it being brown all my life. Does it really look good?”

“You look like an anime character. You’ve always looked like one, I guess. But it’s a hundred times better this time. Try black when it fades.”

“Black’s boring.” Ten munches on the junk food noisily, staring at the TV before nudging Jaehyun’s side. “It’s been a week.”

“I know.” Jaehyun huffs, glaring down the phone in his hand. Doyoung still hasn’t called ㅡ not anyone from the HQ. It’s a little suspicious how it’s too quiet, too calm. It feels too good to be true. They should be checking on the runaways, right?

_Are they being complacent or things are just going according to plan? What even is Red Phoenix’s plan?_

“We’re totally clueless as to what’s going on back there.”

“You don’t trust them?” Ten asks, sounding genuinely curious.

Jaehyun chuckles. That’s stupid, the thought of not trusting Red Phoenix when Invictus wouldn’t be where they are without the parent group. If anything, Jaehyun would give his life for Red Phoenix and its subgroup to maintain its reputation. His gaze suddenly glues on the window when he hears the unmistakable sound of revving engine. He’s off the couch in a blink if an eye, surreptitiously peeking through the small space between the curtain and the window.

A black car drives off, looking like it was parked prior from the slow speed of its wheels. It heads into the deeper part of the area.

Hot breath fans over his ear and the warmth of a body pressed against his back keeps Jaehyun rooted on his spot, blood rushing south.

“Who was that?” Ten’s voice is laced with honey when he speaks, smooth and deep. Jaehyun forces himself to pry out of the suffocating space, standing in the middle of the small living room.

“You know what,” Jaehyun ignores the question, huffing indifferently. “I still can’t believe you’re the Kingpin’s son. Red Phoenix’s  _heir._ ” Jaehyun spits, the word acidic in his mouth. “Think you can handle it? Considering the way your head works.”

Ten crumples the bag of Cheetos and stuffs it in a nook on the couch. “I don’t even want Red Phoenix.” He walks past Jaehyun and straight into the bedroom, rummaging through the small closet and cursing when he doesn’t find what he’s looking for. Jaehyun welcomes himself in, sitting on the bed and watching Ten move around agitatedly, hands twitching.

“Where the fuckㅡ oh.” Ten pats the pocket of his jeans hanging on a nail impaled on the wall and takes out his box of cigarettes, quickly lighting out a stick, sighing in relief when the nicotine invades his system.

Jaehyun observes in silence, scooting back until he’s pressed against the headboard. Might as well take advantage of the first and last time he’s resting on this bed with Ten sitting barely two feet away from him. His limbs have been hurting from being curled up unpleasantly on the couch.

Ten’s eyes are close, contented with the quietness that befalls them.

“Are we going to live like this? Off the radar, hiding? I signed up for some action, you know. Really hoping I get to be important enough in the organization to handle dealings overseas. But I’m stuck here babysitting a deranged killer.”

The heir of Red Phoenix blows out a cloud of smoke, watching it evaporate into the air. “No one forced you to come here with me.”

“Are you serious? Your father did force me. If I defy, I don’t get to keep the job. I’ll be stuck in Invictus as a subordinate of a subordinate. I don’t have a say.” Frustration starts to boil in Jaehyun’s chest, searing as it spreads all over his body.

The redhead clicks his tongue in annoyance, flicking off the ash from the stick. “I don’t need you here; you can go back for fuck’s sake. Stop fucking complaining?” Ten growls, clenching his fist.

“The Kingpin appointedㅡ“

“Yaddah yaddah,” Ten interjects rudely, waving a dismissive hand. “Fuck that shit, the subject at hand is me so don’t talk about him.”

Jaehyun shoots a blank stare. “He’s the boss.”

“I said I don’t need you. It’s my feelings you gotta take into consideration.”

“You don’t exactly have that.”

Ten pins him a funny look. “Point taken.”

Silence stretches between them again as Jaehyun racks his brain for any sort of plan ㅡ it’s weird that Red Phoenix isn’t trying to reach them through any means. What if something unimaginable ensues and there’s no one to call?

“What are we gonna do?” Worry teeters on the edge of his voice, the telltale sign of a forthcoming crippling anxiety.

“Hide. Didn’t you just fucking say you can’t go against the boss, you fuckin’ amnesiac?” The cigarette is thrown on the floor before getting messily stomped on.  

Jaehyun is caught off guard by the show of untidiness, grabbing Ten by the scruff and tossing him down the bed. “You’re fucking insufferable!”

“Release my neck you son of a bitch!” Ten rolls over, knocking Jaehyun down his back with a kick of his knee against the other’s abdomen, taking over as he straddles Jaehyun to pin the younger down, preventing him from getting back up. He’s not even contented with it as his hands wrap tight around Jaehyun’s throat, blue eyes darkening at the sight of the Gold card shooter squirming beneath his weight, clawing at his hands.

“Fuckin’ stop it already Ten!” Jaehyun kicks, trying to send Ten toppling over but to no avail. His menacing glare doesn’t affect Ten in any way. If anything, it seems to fuel the other’s madness as the grip tightens like vice, seizing him like a snake and cutting off his oxygen supply.

Ten’s sinister grin widens and for a moment Jaehyun feels a rush of fear. “No. I enjoy watching you break piece by piece in my hands.”

“Fuckㅡ I  _can’t_  fucking breathe.” Red gradually colors his face and he starts to see black splotches. “L-let go! I don’t wanna hurt youㅡ”

“Aww pretty boy, what are you gonna do?” Ten laughs, tears brimming around his eyes while Jaehyun seems to give up the fight. “Hm? What are you gonna do, call for daddy? That’s right. Call for daddy to save you from the murderer!”

Jaehyun gathers what’s left of his energy and punches Ten square on the jaw, the impact pushing the other off of him and Ten’s head hits the bedpost with a thump while Jaehyun quickly sits up with loud, labored breathing as he gasps for air.

“You bitch!” Ten screams, cupping the back of his head. “That fucking hurts!”

“I’d do more than that if you don’t get away from me right this instant.” Jaehyun rubs his throat and winces, feeling it protest under his own touch. “Why the fuck did you do that?!”

“Are you shitting me? We’re in a tiny ass cabin- where the fuck do I go?  _I ain’t about to sleep underground,_   _that’s one helluvan oven._ ” English spills from the knife thrower’s mouth as he rubs the assaulted part of his head, cursing the already growing bump.

“… Just shut up, please. Smoke that fucking cigar, burn your throatㅡ whatever, and stop your tics it’s distracting!”

“What did my tics ever do to you,” Ten pushes himself to sit next to Jaehyun, still rubbing the bump on his head.

Jaehyun drags his own butt away. “I can’t stand you.”

“Is that really it?”

Jaehyun glares harder before forcing himself off the bed, disappearing shortly and returning with an ice bag, yanking Ten close to him as he presses the cold compress on the bump. Ten surprisingly keeps still while he’s sprawled on his stomach across Jaehyun’s lap.

“You’re crazy. I can’t believe they didn’t lock you up in the mental facility.” Jaehyun presses the cold compress harder on the bump just to hear Ten whine, instantly feeling smug as Ten does just that.

“Don’t fuck with me,” Ten squirms a bit, finding a more comfortable position without Jaehyun’s knees digging on his ribcage. “I’ll find a way to escape even the maximum security prison.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Correction ㅡ improbable, but not impossible. I believe at this point you should know I will outsmart them all, alright.”

“How?” Parting the older’s hair, Jaehyun’s eyes narrow to check the bump. It doesn’t look serious. He hopes the other didn’t get a concussion.

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Nosy ass shit.” Ten huffs, eyes closing just as Jaehyun starts running his fingers through the newly dyed hair. It still feels soft even after the chemical was applied to it though it gives off a strong scent that makes Jaehyun’s head ache.  _Hopefully it disappears soon_ , he thinks to himself.

No response comes from Ten. His eyes are close, posture lax. He has completely put his guard down, something Jaehyun least expects knowing Ten hates it when people breathe in his direction.

He recounts the conversation they had, the sudden confession from Ten. It’s odd – they’re polar opposites. The human life still matters to Jaehyun depending on the situation. He has boiling emotions and the capability to think twice, to weigh his decisions and come up with a concrete goal for whatever lies ahead of him. Ten on the other hand has one thing and one thing only to care for, and that is to achieve things on his own no matter the consequence. Innocent lives do not concern him and his heart is devoid of feelings. This friendship will do Jaehyun no good. Ten is mistaking his lack of outward hostility as him understanding Ten’s mindset.

But for a reason he’s yet to know, Jaehyun remains where he is. The will to stand up and escape the foreboding catastrophe is absent from all the fiber of his being. He can leave this place and go back to Invictus or join another organization, go anywhere – far away from the mess that Red Phoenix had started.

Yet he doesn’t.

What would happen if they didn’t counter Dragonaire? The fallen organization was a third-rate when it came to their capability to close deals and build a stronger network. Red Phoenix could’ve just let it go, but their greed for power and money tested a challenger. A challenger doesn’t back down easily. Dragonaire is a silent killer.

And if they didn’t get too personal with the enemy, would Jaehyun have this rare interaction with the epitome of perplexity called Ten Chittaphon? Jaehyun wants to bang his head against the wall until it shatters. Ten Chittaphon is ruining his life with a thrill.

He’s starting to think the other has fallen asleep when Ten speaks, slightly startling Jaehyun. “That feels nice. Your fingers feel nice.” The sexual innuendo makes Jaehyun roll his eyes. Ten may dislike contact, but he’s a maddening flirt.

“This is the most normal I’ve ever seen you.”

“I’m out of it.” Ten pushes himself off of Jaehyun’s lap and grabs the cold compress, pressing it on the bump without Jaehyun’s aid. He settles next to Jaehyun again, chewing on his thumb while slightly rocking back and forth, eyes empty as he stares into the blank space ahead of him.

Jaehyun grunts. “Stop twitching, dammit.”

“I’m gonna fucking convulse, asshole. Gimme that pack.” Ten tosses the cold compress haphazardly, uncaring where it lands.

“What does it meanㅡ“

Ten’s hands tremble as he shoves the pack against his palm, hissing when the sticks scatter on the bed instead. “I’m supposed to have a session but we’re stuck in here. I get this urge to fucking kill and I have to be stopped.” He picks up a cigarette and sticks it between his lips, eyeing Jaehyun mischievously. “Would you like to play doctor and tame my demons, dimple boy?”

Jaehyun’s skin crawls. “Stop talking garbage.”

“Bullshit!” Ten swears, startling Jaehyun. Seriously, Jaehyun needs to stop jerking at every episode of Ten’s moodiness. “If I knew, you’d be up for that if I wasn’t sick in the head. I’m not sick in the head, I’m also not cursed. Only my mother thought that way.”

The mention of Ten’s mother grabs Jaehyun’s attention. “Tell me more.”

The redhead snorts, chucking the cigarette stick away when he can’t find the lighter ㅡ and if he only focuses and looks at the nightstand beside Jaehyun, he’d see it. “Nosy little shit. Alright, come aboard the roller coaster and buckle up. Well, as a kid I had – still have weird quirks, clawed down other kids’ faces and giggle when they cry because what can I do, it’s music to my ears when they wail and scream pathetically. I’m that crazy little boy who watches gore and asked her one day if I could shoot people instead because I didn’t want to take an afternoon nap. Cut my little sister’s finger with a bread knife on her birthday because the icing on her cake was pink, I wanted it red. I made no friends because the news instantly spread and reached these mommy pigs and they locked their kids in their houses.” Ten narrates with so much hatred eliciting from his tongue, each word acidic and lethal. “Mother made no action to right their assumptions. Yeah I hurt the kids but only because they were so stupid. I wouldn’t hurt them if they weren’t, alright. She hit me, called me names so much that they don’t affect me now, hid my sister away from me. That whore hated me and I hate her too.”

The words swirl in Jaehyun’s head, creating the image of a younger Ten already inflicting pain on others and thinking it was justifiable.

“Learned knife throwing during the nights they were knocked out. Namgyu left before I knew about his job, if you’re curious about that. Us meeting again was pure coincidence.”

“What did Jaeseok say…for you to kill him?”

Ten raises a brow, smirking. “Should I say something sarcastic first? Should I answer at all? I know that’s been haunting you.”

“Up to you. But we don’t exactly have all the time in the world.” Jaehyun shrugs, eyeing Ten’s fringe. Before he can even realize it, he’s already brushing the hair to the side, exposing the red haired man’s forehead. Ten is looking at him with amusement and something else that Jaehyun chooses to ignore. He quickly withdraws his hand when he’s satisfied with the way Ten’s hair is brushed, making the knife thrower look even more ethereal, if that’s possible.

“So caring. The bastard said my mother’s a whore.”

“That hit a nerve?” Jaehyun’s in disbelief. “But you just called her a whore.”

Ten nods, lips pursing. “Yeah, but I’m the only one who can call her that.”

“Where is she?”

“Dunno. Hopefully far away from here with my sister so they don’t give me problems.”

“You’re worried.” Jaehyun states matter-of-factly.

“Well,” Ten drawls, stretching out his legs with a groan. “That isn’t rocket science.”

“Is that why you’re like this?” This conversation piques Jaehyun’s attention. Ten is unraveling himself without much of a fight.

“I don’t know, that’s what my therapist says but who knows, really? I’m not sick. Whoever thinks I’m sick is sick. People love to act smart.”

“You torture to relieve that urge, Ten.” Jaehyun reminds him slowly, patiently. “There’s no one to hurt here unless you give me a try but I won’t let you, of course. So what now? Can’t let you go berserk.”

Ten doesn’t take the word well, glowering. “What am I, a fucking animal?”

Jaehyun shrugs, shaking his head. “Suggestions?”

The redhead doesn’t respond right away. Ten’s eyes tell him the answer as they rake down his torso, stopping on his crotch. Jaehyun instantly folds his legs to hide it from Ten’s view.

“No, I’m not fucking you. I’m not gaㅡ“

“I’m not gay, asshole.” Ten chuckles as he prowls toward Jaehyun, caging the other between his arms. “But get this. No one’s around and it’s not like you’re narrow-minded about shit like this. It’s casual. I need it. You wanna tame my urges and you’ll do anything for me not to go out and kill. You’re stressed, I’m stressed. It’s beneficial, right? You also think I’m pretty.”

Jaehyun opens his mouth, ready to deny the redhead’s persuasion. Ten beats him to it with a whisper, brushing his lips over Jaehyun’s lobe.

“So what? I’m up for it. Are you?”

When Jaehyun looks straight into Ten’s blue eyes, all of his resolve vanishes out of the window. Fuck it, he’ll allow himself this much for once. Jaehyun will let go for once. He’s been living through rules, following what’s in the book and trying not to mess up. Tonight he’s going to let go and see what it’s like not to give a damn.

Ten sends his mind into a haywire as thin lips capture his in a ferocious kiss, stealing his breath away quite literally. Jaehyun responds as eagerly as he can, matching the fire that fuels Ten into action. Cold, trembling fingers slide under his shirt, brushing over his hypersensitive skin and leaving goosebumps in their trail. Ten only breaks the kiss to allow them both a single intake of air and to pull Jaehyun’s shirt out of the way before doing the same to his own.

Jaehyun is the one to initiate the kiss this time, tongue quickly delving into the warm mouth and lapping at the slick tongue slithering around his, forcing a delicious moan out of them both. His hands find purchase on Ten’s back, caressing the black ink down the latter’s spine, fingers hooking under the hindering waistband. He keeps his hands there and pulls Ten closer, kissing him so hotly that he wants to devour  _all_  of the redhead. Ten’s hands clutch his hair, pulling.

“What does the tattoo say,” Jaehyun gasps over Ten’s mouth, arching into the body against his.

“ _Le mal est parmi nous_ ,” Ten groans, shuddering from the fleeting brush of Jaehyun’s tongue along his collarbone, hissing when Jaehyun bites down hard, tearing the skin and lapping off the blood after. “The evil is among us.”

Jaehyun’s chest rumble with laughter before wiggling a bit so he can lie down and let Ten straddle his hips. “Where do you think it is? Is it watching us?”

The man on top of him halts his movements, sparkling azure eyes meeting Jaehyun's coal black ones. 

"You're looking at it right now."

An insistent hand unbuttons Jaehyun’s jeans, pulling it down after. The black haired man watches as Ten kicks off his own pants and soon they’re left bare, skin uncovered for their eyes to drink in. Ten sits right on top of his crotch and grabs Jaehyun’s hand, making it wrap around his cock before his own circle Jaehyun’s, tugging deliciously.

“Fuck,” Jaehyun groans, pumping Ten’s cock languidly. The skin feels hot in his palm, pulsing and throbbing and it twitches when Jaehyun thumbs down the underside of the tip, moaning when the slit oozes out precum. His own isn’t much differentㅡhot and heavy in Ten’s hand and embarrassingly twitches as Ten grinds, their balls rubbing.

Ten looks so sexy on top of him, grunting and shuddering as his breath hitches whenever Jaehyun thumbs on the swollen tip of his length. He’s flushed from the face down to his chest, and his stomach flexes when Jaehyun begins grinding back, rutting against him.

“Shit, that feels good. Keep doin’ that.” Ten huffs out, staring at Jaehyun with eyes blown out in lust. He audaciously bites his lip, riling up Jaehyun even more and making the other speed up the pace of his strokes, set to push Ten over the edge.

Jaehyun’s free hand traipses the side of Ten’s face, cupping his cheek before pulling him down. But they don’t kiss again. Jaehyun only stares at the face of the killer he unwillingly harbors, committing each sharpness and gentleness of his features to memory. Ten’s lips are parted as he pants, the tip of his tongue shyly poking out and pressing against the corner of his mouth.

“Touch me.” Ten breathes out heavily, pressing his forehead on Jaehyun’s. Their eyes close at the same time and Jaehyun clutches the long strands of red hair as tight as he can, tugging and yanking Ten’s head back just as the redhead cries out in ecstasy, shooting out his load on Jaehyun’s stomach, with some landing on the latter’s chest.

The sight of Ten crumbling in pleasure because of him forces Jaehyun to follow, his hips stuttering as he releases strings of cum. Ten milks him through his orgasm and they both ride out their high until their spent bodies give out and Ten rolls to his side, panting.

They stare up at the ceiling for a while, waiting for the heat in their bodies to cool down. Jaehyun grabs his discarded shirt from the floor and wipes the mess on his skin, tossing the shirt to Ten once he’s done. Ten does the same to the slowly drying white on his hand.

“God, that was good.” Ten looks at him with a sated grin, face still a little red. “You think it’s good, right?”

Jaehyun flips him off and Ten doubles over in laughter, only calming down when Jaehyun threatens to set him on fire.

“I’ll take that as a yes. If I knew that would feel like being high on crack then I’ve done it ages ago. Maybe when we met at the gym.”

Jaehyun’s brows furrow as he puts a pillow over his crotch. Ten remains casually lying there, stark naked. It seems that nudity isn’t a big deal to him. “What?”

“Haven’t heard of virgins?”

Jaehyun almost chokes at what he heard. “No- wait- what? Even jerking off?”

Ten scoffs and sits up, resting against the headboard. His hands have stopped twitching so the cigarette stick doesn’t fall anymore when he picks up one, curtly telling Jaehyun to hand him the lighter. He inhales a lungful of it, releasing the smoke through his nose. “Fuck you I do jerk off. I make use of my hand every now and then. I meant doing it with someone else.”

“Okay… Should I be flattered I’m your first?”

“You should be.” Ten runs a hand through his hair, brushing a portion to the side and flattening it. He doesn’t tell Jaehyun it’s because he knows Jaehyun likes it when it’s parted.

“What’s with your hair- I mean, why are you growing it that long?” Jaehyun’s eyes glue themselves on the long, red tresses splayed down Ten’s chest.

“Hah, oh yeah. You have this fixation on my hair. I like it long. That was actually a mullet, but I stopped trimming it, just kept the tops short and let the base grow.”

“I know that’s called a mullet. Now feed my fixation.”

Ten gives him a ‘what are you on’ look before rolling his eyes after realizing Jaehyun’s serious. “My sister said I’d look good with long hair. Like those princes or warriors in manga whatever she reads.”

“I knew it.” Jaehyun mumbles.

“What. You read those too?” Ten simpers in disbelief. “Gay shit.”

Jaehyun gasps, feigning a look of being offended. “That’s so homophobic of you, considering you talked me into masturbating with  _you,_ of all people. This is the first time I touched someone else’s dick, by the way. And stop smoking, it’s dangerous for me.”

Ten smirks and exhales the smoke right onto Jaehyun’s face. “It’s my own way of killing you without alarming you, so let me.”

“You stopped twitching, though.”

“Yeah. Happens when I’m sated.”

Conceit etches all over Jaehyun’s features. Suddenly he doesn’t mind the fact he just had sex with another man. “You’re welcome.”

“Eurgh. Bite me.” Ten gets off the bed and walks over to the mini closet, limp dick dangling between his legs. He rummages for a whole minute before throwing a paper and a pen on Jaehyun’s chest. “Can you draw?”

Jaehyun pins him a look of incredulity, picking up the paper. “…Please don’t say it.”

Leaning against the closet, the redhead displays his nudity. “What, it’s valid. I’m naked and I’m French. Come on, Jack.  _Draw me like one of your French girls._ Except that I have a dick.” He utters in a mixture of Korean, English and horrible humor.

Jaehyun can only sigh, torn between strangling Ten and actually taking him up on his offer. The only sad thing is he can’t draw.

_What the hell. I really got to have Ten Chittaphon like that, huh. Jung, 1. Uehara, 0._

The black haired sharpshooter laughs at his internal monologue. He can’t wait to go back to Red Phoenix and leave everyone gawking at the news.

0o0o0

“Did we run out of cereal?”

“Do you see any cereal there?”

“I don’t.”

“Then Ten Chittaphon, for your 220 IQ’s information, we ran out of cereal.” Jaehyun double checks the safety on his gun and slips it in the holster, before putting it back in the bag. He’s just about to ask the redhead if he wants anything else to eat when the phone Doyoung gave rings. But Ten’s faster than him ㅡ faster than anyone else and picks up the call, eyes hard. Jaehyun knows it means bad news.

“Talk.” Ten curtly tells the other line.

Jaehyun watches him, waiting for anything – Ten doesn’t react to anything he hears from the other line, Ten’s face doesn’t twitch, his eyes don’t blink and his lips remain pressed in a firm line.

But when Jaehyun looks down and sees Ten’s hand twitch, he doesn’t waste a second and walks out, straight to where their car is. He plucks out some kind of paper stuck beneath one of the wipers and flips it over.

What he sees mutes him. Knowing he’s got no time to dawdle, Jaehyun returns to Ten whose standing unmoving in the middle of the living room, the phone broken into pieces beneath the sole of his shoe.

“Ten.”

The redhead snatches the photo out of Jaehyun’s hand and stares at it, hard and chilling. There on the picture are the bodies of his father and his sister, bare of clothes with their skins carved to make out the words  _‘C’est la guerre’._ As he stares longer, Ten eventually sees the anguish laced on the face of his dead sister and wonders just how much pain she endured before giving up. He could care less about his father ㅡ he probably deserved that for abandoning his family but his sister, his sweet little sister shouldn’t even be in this picture. His mother had most likely been taken for the pleasure of these men.

“What a whore,” Ten mumbles before ripping the photo in half. He then pushes Jaehyun out of the way and kneels, removing several of the floorboard. It reveals an entryway leading to the basement and Ten quickly climbs down with Jaehyun in tow.

“What the fuck. You didn’t tell me about this.” Jaehyun looks over the array of blades hanging on the walls. Ten dumps a metal box on a wooden table in the middle of the dark basement, their only source of light coming from upstairs. He takes out a couple of other blades, cursing loudly when the electroshock fails to work.

“This was made for emergency purposes. You only needed to know when there’s an emergency. Here.” Ten flings loaded magazines at him. “It’s not Doyoung, alright. It’s Dragonaire’s Kim Taejun. Apparently our men had been killed. They captured your friends, though. I needed to clarify that so you won’t be too sad. He said your guys will be useful to rebuild their org. Now,” Ten cocks a gun he retrieved from the box and aims at the wall, impaling a bullet on it. “Red Phoenix  _was_ strong. But Dragonaire’s wiser than they were given credit. Moon Taeil must have overlooked that part. If you’re thinking of calling for help, save it. You don’t drag business affiliates into personal disputes. Surely you don’t want Invictus suffering too, yeah?”

“So we’re in this alone. What else did they tell you?”

“Tomorrow. They want me by their feet tomorrow, dead or alive. Apparently my organs will sell high in the black market, so it doesn’t matter if I come festering.” Ten puts the gun down and scribbles something on a paper. It looks like the basement keeps all stuff the redhead must’ve used before. Ten slaps the paper on Jaehyun’s chest.

Jaehyun reads it over and over again until he concludes he doesn’t really get it, peering obliviously at Ten. “It’s the org’s graveyard. What are you planning to do?”

Ten grins and carelessly closes the metal box, its steely noise vibrating in the basement. “You’ll see.”

 

***

After all the times he’s spent with the crazed redhead, Jaehyun realizes he still doesn’t get the way Ten’s mind works. Most of his thoughts are spontaneous, out of this world, something that a mentally healthy person wouldn’t even consider. Now, as the said redhead trudges past gravestones carrying a shovel, the edges of his black suit jacket flapping against the wind, Jaehyun thinks that maybe having a lower IQ than 220’s a blessing in disguise.

“You’re not thinking of digging their graves in advance, are you?”

“Nope,” Ten continues to walk, dangerously swinging the shovel back and forth with a happy tune whistling from him. Jaehyun collides against his back when he abruptly halts, turning to face a grave without a stone perched on it. “Do you know that when an enemy dies in the hands of a Red Phoenix member, they get a decent burial in the org’s graveyard? The difference is thatㅡ” Ten points at a random grave. “The enemies don’t get stones with their names on it, because they don’t deserve to be recognized.” Before Jaehyun can even form a coherent response, Ten drives the shovel down the ground, digging.

“What are you doing?!”

Ten ignores him, continuing to dig the soil. Jaehyun can’t even express how ridiculous the other’s acting. He takes a few steps back and watches intently, skin crawling at whatever gut-lurching plans Ten has in his senseless head.

Finally the grave’s dug, a mountain of soil piled next to the open ground. Ten forcefully wrenches the casket open and Jaehyun watches in absolute horror as the redhead stomps on Jaeseok’s chest, grabs the corpse’s hair and yanks the head from the body, decapitating it.

“Holy shitㅡ are you out of your goddamn mind?!”

“You dare ask me that?” Ten raises the decapitated head, leveling it to his face. “It’s too late to realize you fucked with the wrong guy, Jaehyun.”

“Really.” Jaehyun releases an exasperated sigh, pinning him an incensed glare. “My bad, your highness.”

Ten juggles the head on either hand, tossing it back and forth. “Ahuh, what do you think I am?”

“A crazy bastard. The most sought after criminal in Korean mafia.”

“Korean, huh. Say,” Ten tucks the head between his feet and looks around, his hair blowing through the cold breeze. “You think they’d let me go if I tell them I’m a French citizen?”

Jaehyun’s lips purse, resisting the urge to laugh at the terrible joke. He checks the time on his wristwatch and dusts off the shoulder of his suit before signaling Ten to start heading back to the car.

“Pray that Taejun’s insane enough to let you go.”

0o0o0

They’re hidden behind a wall at an abandoned building’s rooftop, arriving earlier than the enemy. Jaehyun pats the guns on each side of his hip and exhales the breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Don’t the knives cut your skin? I seriously don’t know how you’re hiding them well.”

“If anyone did, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore. Get your head out of things you don’t understand, Jaehyun.” Ten takes a furtive peek, eyes turning into slits at the sight of a few men casually exiting a van. Eleven. Eleven people are waiting to put bullets in their chests. One of them looks painfully familiar and after a few more seconds of staring, he recognizes Yuta.  _Of course, they took our gunman to pit him against us._  

“Should’ve killed everyone back there when we had the chance.”

Jaehyun tugs him back. “So what’s the plan?”

“Plan?” Ten looks at his palm, head leaning back a little as though he was a farsighted person trying to read sentences that aren’t even there. “The plan is to not get killed.”

Jaehyun chuckles, staring down his feet while thinking of the number of men waiting for the both of them. “This is a war we won’t win.”

“You think that didn’t cross my mind? Actually, it really didn’t. The question is – are you going to stay?” Blue eyes search black ones, hoping for an answer Ten doesn’t even need to ask.

“With you?”

“Don’t act like a lovestruck teenager now, for christ’s sake. You know what I mean – will you fight?”

Jaehyun pulls out a gun and cocks it, smirking. “With you.”

Ten grumbles quietly, hand roughly combing through his hair. “Disgusting piece of shit.”

“Ha. Because you know, somehow I’ve been tainted and I can’t see myself standing anywhere else but next to you.” He adds an extra coyness to his tone just to piss off the redhead. Jaehyun triumphs.

Ten picks up the head by the hair and swings it over his shoulder. “Save the sap for later ㅡ let’s work on your homosexual tendencies after this.”

The redhead finally comes out of their hiding place, looking down on the remaining Dragonaire members from his spot on the rooftop. He feels like a  _god_  like this, looking down on the men secondary to him. His blue eyes shortly give Yuta a lofty glance possessing something more than a prompting arrogance before meeting the eyes of the man whose son was grotesquely murdered by him.

“Ten Chittaphon. I’ve been looking for you. I was informed that you cowardly ran away with a Gold card. Why did a supposed strong, resilient Red Phoenix heir dote on a subordinate?” Kim Taejun sports a sarcastic smile, palm open for an ally to place a gun on it. “Your father begged me not to harm you. Come to think of it, Lee Namgyu belittled Dragonaire only to meet his death in the hands of its leader. Not to mention your sister, adorable Taehee. Cried so hard for me to spare her big brother.”

Ten’s face is blank, indifferent to the eyes of the enemy. Jaehyun stands a fair distance away from him, gun ready.

“Your mother’s serving a good purpose to us, if you’re wondering.”

“Well,” Ten starts. “Thank you for the information I didn’t ask from you, but I believe I also have something for you, if you’re not picky with gifts. This one’s kind of cheap. I didn’t have much money on me. If I had some, I’d renovate your wiped out HQ.” Before Taejun can open his mouth, Ten tosses the decapitated head to the Kingpin’s feet, the loud thud reverberating in the sudden quietness of the place. Kim Jaeseok’s head pathetically rolls until it hits Taejun’s foot, and the father exclaims in terror at the sight of his dead son’s face ㅡ lips torn off to expose the incomplete set of teeth.

“Sorry about the teeth, by the way. I got carried away plucking it out with a plier while he screamed. It sounded cute. I had it recorded ㅡ if you wanna listen?”

Taejun trembles as he picks up the head of his son, glowering threateningly at the redhead. “I’ll fucking kill you!”

Ten quickly evades the raining bullets, running off somewhere as Jaehyun hides behind the wall, shooting back at the enemy.

“Fuck this!” Jaehyun pushes himself off and runs across the vast rooftop, aiming at the men and successfully shooting two straight between their eyes. Yuta had long disappeared before the firing started and Jaehyun can only hope the other still sided with him.

Ten lurks behind a pillar, unseen by the Dragonaire men before hurling knives at their unsuspecting forms, watching them writhe as blood squirt out of their jugulars. Taejun shoots aimlessly, panic clearly written over his wrinkly face, having no idea where the knife thrower is.

The Kingpin shouts as he shoots everywhere, not spotting his target. Jaehyun lets out a series of curses as reinforcement arrives and reloads his guns, momentarily coming out of his hiding spot to shoot either at the heads or chests of the gunmen.

“Jaehyun!” He whips around to look at whoever called him only to see Yuta running ducked in protection to his spot. The Japanese picks up something from the ground and slaps it against Jaehyun’s chest.

“Don’t fucking lose your card!”

Yuta straightens and shoots, determined to put each of his bullet straight to the enemies’ hearts. “This is for the boss! Doyoung! Johnny! Taeyong! Winwin! Take it you motherfuckers!”

Jaehyun momentarily gets struck at the display of Yuta’s willpower, remembering his original purpose when he joined Red Phoenix. A surge of intense emotion fills him as he stands next to his comrade, shooting back at the men who had wiped out their own.

***

Back on the ground floor, Ten expertly sidesteps the shots aimed at his spot with insane agility, tossing a new batch of knives from his belt, swiftly cutting through the air and disarming several more Dragonaire men.

“Fucking…” He’s running out of blades and he can’t risk sprinting out to retrieve the ones impaled on the dead bodies littering the area. Taejun still fails to figure out where to shoot as he changes places to avoid exposing where he is and deep inside Ten laughs at their stupidity, once again reminded of the reason Dragonaire was at the bottom of the competition.

He turns around to face the targets as he’s pulled out of a sudden reverie when, unexpectedly, he gets yanked back by the hair and forcefully dragged out in the open area. Ten glares at the men pointing their guns at him before his gaze shifts to where Jaehyun is, slightly pleased to find Yuta with him.

Taejun laughs maniacally behind him and clutches his hair harder, tugging his head back and digging the muzzle of the gun on Ten’s side.

“Some hair of a woman you got here.”

Ten smirks. “Heh. What makes you think it’s an insult, when you’re not even half of a man that I am.”

The knife thrower takes the Kingpin by surprise as he slices his tresses short with a blade and kicks off another man’s gun out his grip before knocking the weapon out of Taejun’s hold all in a matter of seconds, mentally celebrating at their slow reflexes. The men had dropped to the ground one by one as Yuta and Jaehyun rain bullets until their defense stops and five new men appear for Dragonaire’s aid.

He feels a burning sensation on his left arm and finds that it’s bleeding. Another bullet grazes the side of his head and Ten drops on his knees, appearing to be gradually losing his strength.

“Ten!” Jaehyun cries out, about to run to the redhead when Yuta yanks him back harshly.

“Don’t fucking go there. We don’t have bullets anymore!” Yuta starts pulling at the other’s arm, frustrated at Jaehyun’s resistance. “We’re going to get killed! Come on! Johnny’s driving one of the vans; we’ll escape and pick up the others.”

“But Tenㅡ“

Yuta grips the collar of Jaehyun’s suit and hauls him up, face contorted in rage. “It’s not worth it! He had it coming! Weren’t you so against keeping him hidden?!” The Silver card shooter reminds Jaehyun of the reality he has long forgotten but he doesn’t feel the expected emotions he initially had over the thought of saving Ten Chittaphon. Jaehyun peers at Ten’s state, livid that he’s so powerless.

He lets Yuta drag him out of the place without anyone catching them and quickly gets in a van, not bothering to acknowledge Johnny’s presence as the vehicle speeds off, his mind in a state of chaos as Ten’s pained expression appears even as he shuts his eyes close, willing the tears to stop.

“Don’t shoot!” Taejun orders his men and harshly pulls Ten to stand with a merciless grip on his injured arm, reveling in the way the redhead screams in agony.

“I need him alive. Thought we should let him feel how my son felt through his suffering.” The Kingpin carelessly pushes him into the arm for an awaiting ally, and Ten limps on the way to one of the vans, head lolling back as he sways on the edge of falling unconscious.

He feels his arm get tied up with a cloth to slow down the bleeding before the world turns black.

***

“You sure we don’t have to chain him?”

“Don’t be a fool; we don’t have the sufficient equipment. Plus he’s already weak, we haven’t taken out the bullet and he’s losing blood.”

The first thing he registers when his eyes open is the bleary sight of a Dragonaire member sat in front of him, watching him like a hawk. Ten’s eyes flutter slowly as they adjust under the bright white light. The room he’s in is small, walls cracked and the dirty green paint peeled off.

“The sleeping beauty’s awake,” The unknown man sing-songs annoyingly. Ten remains immobile, appearing to be drained of energy. “That’s good. We can start our playtime now.”

The balding man stands up and approaches his companion. The other leaves with a huff and soon they’re alone, and Ten keeps his act of vulnerability.

Sporting a perverted grin, the man approaches their hostage and runs his grimy finger along Ten’s jawline. “What a waste of a pretty face. You shouldn’t have cut your hair. It’s going to be thrilling when I pull on it as I hit it roughly from the back.”

The finger leaves him and the man circles his limp body before heading to the corner where an array of tools awaits to be used.

“Hm, what should I use first?”

Ten glares at the back of the man’s head as the latter takes his time to choose among his limited options. The knife thrower mentally countsㅡ _one, two, three_ _ㅡ_ eyes never leaving the foolish Dragonaire slave as his hand trails down the length of his leg, pulling out a blade strapped to his calf.

A funny tune fills the room coming from the unsuspecting captor. Ten pads across as silent as he can, immensely delighted at the other’s obliviousness and how things are working out in his favor.

“Should I pick this to cut throㅡ“

Ten grabs the man’s head, pulling it back in a dangerously odd angle and lunges the knife down the man’s gaping mouth with tremendous force that it slices his tongue in half and pierces through the back of his neck. The redhead watches in sick fascination as blood fills the bastard’s mouth, overflowing and dripping down the damp, pungent floor.  

A squelch reaches his ears as Ten wrenches out the blade with a violent twist. The lifeless body hits the floor with a thud. Ten looks around, eyeing the row of tools and grinning at the sight of three knives varying in sizes and purpose, sharpened to perfection. He straps them under his shirt before picking up a half empty bottle of cheap alcohol that the man must have been drinking, chugging the content and ignoring the nasty burn of the liquid down his throat. He quickly shrugs off his suit jacket and rolls up the sleeve of his undershirt to examine the bullet wound, seeing that it isn’t bleeding much anymore. Ten quickly rips off the hem of his undershirt and ties it around his arm for extra measures before putting his suit jacket back on.

“Saved me from taking it out myself, eh.”

Stepping over the corpse, Ten grabs the bottle and licks the thick liquid off of his knife before unlocking the dingy door, blue eyes raging with thirst for blood.

“Come out, come out, wherever you all are.”

Ten calls, impatient. He needs to find Taejun and replace Jaeseok’s head with his father’s before tending to a more pressing matter. He’s a little hurt that  _his_ Jaehyun left him alone, breaking his pledge.

“My, my. Jung Jaehyun. You can never get rid of me  _just. like. that_.”

A sudden sound of footsteps alerts him and Ten quickly conceals himself behind a pillar, subtly peeking to watch a man head to the opposite end of the floor. Sensing that no one else is going to be coming up, the redhead immediately trails the man. As he reaches closer, he hears soft whimpers. The voice is obviously owned by a woman. The first thing he thinks of is Uehara, that she’s probably kept alive for sexual services but the cries grow louder and Ten realizes it definitely doesn’t sound like her.

He stays behind and checks, only to see his mother bound to a chair behind flimsy, rusty bars. She’s squirming away from the man’s unsolicited caresses, some of her hair falling to the front of her face but Ten sees through them, following the tear tracks down her chin. Her blouse is torn down the middle and her skirt is thankfully intact. There’s an ugly bruise on the corner of her mouth ㅡ she must’ve tried to fight back and got hit.

“G-get away...” She whimpers as renewed tears trickle down her face. She’d gotten so thin since the last time Ten had seen her and it had been years. She helplessly cries as the man’s hand made its way down her chest, groping painfully. Ten watches with a hand already gripping the handle of his blade, stalks over until the sound of the rusty bars creaking open alerts the grisly man.

“Heㅡ“ Before the other can pull out a gun, Ten delivers a kick to his stomach and sends him grunting on the floor, smashing the bottle against his head. Blood trickles down from the open wound on the man’s forehead and Ten quickly unties his mother, regarding her without a word and utter indifference as she calls his name.

“Ten,”

“Shut up.” He hauls her upright and gestures for her to keep it down with a finger against his lips, tugging her by the hand as they make their way down the hall, warily looking out for an enemy.

“How many men are there?” He hears indistinct chatters.

She shakes her head, shuddering as she hugs herself when the feeling of dirty caresses on her skin still haunted her. “I don’t know...”

Ten rolls his eyes, switching to French. “ _Tu es tellement inutile.”_  He turns to her and yanks her forward, glaring. “When I tell you to run, you fucking run. You hear me? Run, don’t look back and save yourself.”

“Ten, pleaseㅡlisten to me.” She grasps his arm, sniffling as she holds back more tears. “I’m sorry forㅡ for all the things I never did for you, and all the things I wish I didn’t do.”

Ten stares into her old eyes, and even though he knows he’s the least capable of determining feelings, he knows she’s sincere – at the moment, at least. He probably needs to say something too, but the chatter grows louder and Ten looks away, standing in an attacking stance.

“It’s too late for that.”

The redhead pushes her back just as two men climb the stairs and spot him, yelling to call the others’ attention. Ten barely dodges the bullets and lunges himself against the two with a growl, impaling two knives on their chests, each buried straight to the heart. Their bodies fall down the staircase on a heap and Ten signals his mother to come down quick before they get cornered.

His body aches all over, the searing pain on his arm worsening from being jostled. Ten pulls her with him as they make their way to find the exit, only to be blocked by three more Dragonaire men.

“God fucking dammit, can’t you let me live? I killed one, you killed two. You guys are fucking greedy.” Ten grins, slowly approaching them with his hands in the air in an act of resignation. “See? Got no guns with me.”

A punch is thrown to the side of his face from out of nowhere, throwing him off guard. Ten quickly recovers and does a double roundhouse kick, throwing off two of their guns before instantly chopping down a man’s hand with the small folding cleaver secretly strapped under his shirt. The hand still gripping the gun rolls down the floor as he drives a mad kick against the man’s jaw, swiftly turning back to the other two and hurls the cleaver straight to one’s head, the crack of a skull reaching his ears and fueling his adrenaline before going straight to the last one, blocking punches using both of his arms, screaming in both pain and anger before pulling out another knife and plunging it down the man’s jugular. Ten drags the knife down, cutting through the flesh and bones of his chest before yanking out his knife and strapping it back, panting loudly.

Ten glances at his mother who’s covering her mouth in sheer terror. He picks up a gun and dismisses the way she flinched when he pulled at her wrist with his bloodied hand and drags her. They make a turn to the right wing of the floor and he stops before a room, checking through the slightly ajar door to see whoever is inside, inwardly pleased to see Kim Taejun there with one of his subordinates.

He faces his mother. “I need you to go and check that closet we passed by. Pretty sure they got explosives kept in there. Get as many as you can and come back here. Quick.” He watches her run in acquiescence before observing again. The two men still haven’t noticed anything and are positively in too deep with whatever conversation they have to hear the noise.

“Those idiots are probably practicing; you saw how shit they were at aiming, yeah? Shin’s having his fun with the redhead bastard upstairs. Chris just can’t get enough of that lady. Said there’s something  _good_ about those thighs.”

She comes back with an armful of V40, and Ten quickly stuffs two in his pockets, leaving her three. “They’re this damn careless, huh.” Quickly scanning her appearance, Ten takes off his suit jacket and puts it around her, pulling the fronts close to cover her up. “Go.”

“But Tenㅡ“

“Run away. Run and don’t let me see you again.”

She remains on her spot, eyes glassy. Ten curses under his breath and cups her face before swooping in to press a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll look for you then. You sure know what to remove to use those V40s? Go.”

Ten tells her to find a safe exit, reminding her to also grab one of the guns of the men from upstairs and watches her disappear.

“Knock knock.” Ten comically announces his presence to the men in the room, brows raised in amusement as guns are quickly pointed at him. Taejun is seething, cocking his gun.

“You just can’t fucking die.”

The knife thrower shrugs, twisting the blade with its sharp end pointing down his palm. “I wanted you to do the torture, not your lousy ass slave. It was too easy stabbing down his mouth.” His blue eyes glance to the man next to Taejun. “The whore escaped. You might want to catch her before she calls for help.”

The man gets a nod from Taejun and leaves the room. But before he could walk past, Ten heaves the knife through the open window and hits the back of the man’s head, quickly evading Taejun’s shot. The bullet grazed his already injured arm and Ten shoots at him, accurately throwing off the gun.

“Shit!”

Taejun quickly crouches to reach for the weapon that skidded across the floor but Ten kicks it out his reach, bashing the rear of his gun down Taejun’s temple.

“Don’t move or I’ll break your neck.”

The Kingpin stills from his threat, fully knowing that Ten’s capable of doing exactly what he said. Taejun glares from his place on the floor, already dizzy from the impact of Ten’s blow on his head.

“You killed my son…”

The muzzle of the gun presses between the older man’s eyes. They both turn to the direction of the sound of a grenade going off, and the redhead smirks down at the man in his mercy.

“You got more men outside?”

Taejun’s nostrils flare in bottled anger. “Two to guard this warehouse.”

“Well they’re probably dead. My mother’s got good aim, I guess. Considering she once had Lee Namgyu wrapped around her finger.” Ten glowers, instilling fear on the Kingpin as he makes a show of subtly pulling the trigger. “You might have wiped out most of Red Phoenix; fooled my father into submission ㅡ I don’t know how you did it. How did you do it? How did you make him fall down to his knees?”

“Found his weakest point.”

Ten frowns in bafflement. “He was anything but a foo–“

“Threatened him that I would make you suffer worse than my son did and kill you as you beg for kindness.”

Ten tilts his head, racking his brain for some petulant retort. He ends up with none. The notion that his father might have cared for him better than he thought stirs an unpleasant emotion in him, something that he hadn’t felt before. Ten supposes it’s not a good thing – he hates thinking that Lee Namgyu might have seen more past his madness. He doesn’t need these unnecessary sentiments when his father’s already dead, stealing away from him the chance of a confrontation.  

He stands up, gun still pointed at Taejun. He picks up the discarded gun from the floor and keeps it, slowly walking backwards without taking his intense blue eyes from Dragonaire’s Kingpin.

“Get up, put your hands where I can see them and lead the way out. I’ll let you go when I confirm that you’re the only Dragonaire left in here.”

The older man follows without a fight. Ten scruffs him, glancing behind every now and then to check whether someone’s tailing. There’s none.

“It’s much too quiet. I think you’ve already eradicated what remained of my men. Those that I captured from Red Phoenix suddenly vanished.”

Ten jostles him, forcing him to walk faster. “I don’t give a damn if they’re alive or not. Those fuckers would have loved to see my downfall anyway. They have this,” He waves the gun in a comical fashion while digging for the right word to say, “This passive aggression towards me.  No balls to actually tell me to fuck off, though.”  

Taejun mumbles something and stops when they finally exit the warehouse. The sight of slabs of flesh and limbs littering the ground welcomes them, and their footsteps leave a series of squelching noises as they pad over pools of dusty blood.

Ten smirks – his mother did a good job.

It’s dark out and the chilly breeze of the wind makes Ten’s teeth chatter from both the cold and scorching heat radiating off of his wounds.

He pushes Taejun away.

“Don’t turn around.” Ten pulls out one of the V40s and removes its clip and pin, tossing it in the building. The ground shakes as it explodes, and a part of the warehouse collapses, creating a huge cloud of dust and pelting rocks.

“Just to be sure that no one’s coming out alive if ever you lied to me.” He hurls the second grenade and coughs through the onslaught of dirt. Stupefied, Taejun remains where he stands.

“Can I go now?”

Ten nears him, pressing against the Kingpin’s back. “You may...”

Kim Taejun makes the mistake of believing Ten Chittaphon’s words, slowly lowers his hands and waits a few seconds, clearly shuddering before making a move to go.

“…not.”

Ten pulls out a knife from the hidden strap and curls his arm around the man’s head, yanking it back before slicing across his throat and burying the blade down to the hilt in his neck, listening to the familiar crunch of breaking bones as he forcefully tugs the head until it detaches from the body.

The headless body pathetically falls to the ground before a gun meets it, hitting the surface with a clatter. Ten turns the head so it faces him; Taejun’s wide open eyes and mouth agape in a silent scream being the trophy of his remarkable victory.

“Ah, that was tiring.”

Ten grabs a handful of the man’s hair and scans the fruit of his hard work before heading off to begin his next game.

He can’t wait any longer.

 

 

**EPILOGUE**

Doyoung slams his hands down the table, furious. “We have to dispose the vehicle, Johnny. Someone might recognize it!”

Johnny sighs, rubbing his temple. The dull start of a headache tells him that this is not the end of the argument. He’s already dreading it. This is why he hates arguing with Doyoung. The other can be too demanding at times. “There are a lot of vans like that, Doyoung. And I already replaced the plate. No one will know where we are ㅡ not the Dragonaire, at least.” He placates, hoping to give the other a bit of assurance.

The Gold card holder plops on his seat in resignation, ignoring Taeyong’s comforting pat. They’ve only been hiding for two days. They’re still hot in Dragonaire’s radar and they need to be incredibly cautious.

Red Phoenix had fallen. They need to find a way to contact Invictus for help and though highly unlikely, also try getting ahold of their acquaintances to understand their situation.

Jaehyun sits idly on a bench. They’ve broken through a vacant apartment. They stayed up for two days straight, paranoia sifting in their minds. They’re outnumbered as far as they know. They don’t know if there are other Red Phoenix members alive. They don’t know where to start without any phone or computer to message their connections. As much as he’s against it, Invictus is their greatest hope. He might be able to convince his father to help rebuild Red Phoenix.

Despite trying to think of the different problems in their hands, Jaehyun’s mind ends up at the same imagery for the past two days. He sincerely hopes Ten’s still alive. He didn’t mean to leave just like that and he blames himself for being powerless, for not being brave enough to take Ten away from Dragonaire.

_Did they torture him? Do what he did to Jaeseok before killing him? God, I hope not._

Loud knocks rap against the door, alerting them all. Jaehyun warily looks at it before telling Winwin to stay back, preventing the arsonist from answering the door.

Jaehyun grips the gun on his hip and slowly wraps a hand around the knob, mentally counting from 1 to 3 before wrenching the door open and aiming his gun at the intruder, eyes widening as he drinks in the sight of red hair, vaguely hearing the shock and surprise from the other men in the room.

“Ten…”

Ten Chittaphon stands in front of him, his face and clothes dirtied with dried blood. His face has a few shallow cuts and fresh wounds are seen through the ripped parts of his undershirt. Jaehyun lowers his gun just as his eyes land on the decapitated head of Kim Taejun next to Ten’s foot.

He’s about to speak when warm, chapped lips capture his. Jaehyun reddens instantly, recalling that the others still don’t know what had happened between him and Ten back in the cabin.

The lips are gone too soon for his liking and Ten walks past him, carrying Taejun’s head.

Yuta blanches.

“Don’t give me that or I’ll fuck you up for leaving me there just because you fucking hate my guts.” Ten monotonously threatens, leaning against the table where Doyoung is sat, dropping the head next to his feet.

“How?” Jaehyun asks the only word he came up with despite the whirlwind of questions in his mind.

“Have you forgotten I hold no card since I can do all of your jobs combined – I could’ve done this from the start but you’re all so far up Namgyu’s ass to let me do things on my own. I killed most of their men before beheading Taejun. I’m sure you already have an idea how I possibly did all of that.”

“So you purposely let yourself get captured?” Yuta asks begrudgingly.

“There was no other way. He wouldn’t just kill me right on the spot ㅡ that man wanted to reenact what I did to his son.” Ten pulls out a laptop from the bag they hadn’t noticed he’s carrying and pushes it to Doyoung. “Do your job. I installed some of the contacts and records with the other organization I managed to retrieve from the undamaged computers in the HQ.”

Doyoung nails him a stern look. “That’s…very responsible of you.”

Ten scoffs, allowing Taeyong to check on his injuries with the first aid kit they retrieved from the van. “That’s expected from your Kingpin, Gold card.”

“Wait wait wait,” Jaehyun interrupts. “You, the Kingpin? First of all, you said you didn’t want it. Second…with your state of mind?”

“Then I guess you just have to tame me again… _just the way I like it.”_

“Um,” Winwin raises a hand, seemingly distracted. “Organization matters aside, you guys…you guys kissed.”

Jaehyun splutters, mentally beating up Winwin for putting the attention back to that. Johnny whistles annoyingly, brows wiggling.

“Oh, right.” Ten grins, rubbing his thumb across his lower lip as his blue eyes find Jaehyun’s flustered face. “I might have found something more addicting than candies and cigarettes.”

 


	2. Downfall

“Did they respond?”

Asks Jaehyun, voice laced with impatience and roughness. Under anyone’s close scrutiny, the man looks tired with dark circles forming beneath his eyes together with the perpetual frown on his face. It’s been two weeks since the war with Dragonaire and when it was deemed safe, they had quickly transferred to one of Red Phoenix’s hideouts, a house within an exclusive village spacious enough to house all of them.

It’s been 14 days of clients bombarding them about the pending products to be smuggled outside of Europe and imported to Korea. Most of them have already given a deadline – those that signed partnership with Red Phoenix for the smuggled drugs and electronics. It has been draining the remaining members, to say the least. They have close to none power to distribute all of the necessities by working alone.

Without a permanent HQ and enough manpower, they will not be staying alive for another year. This is money they’re talking about – hundreds, thousands, millions of money invested in Red Phoenix by businesses and important personalities. Once they fail to deliver by the contracts, they might as well run for their lives.

Doyoung sighs, pushing up his glasses. The light from the laptop reflects on his face as he types yet another e-mail to one of the clients, leaving beautifully worded empty promises that they need to keep for the next few weeks. “They did, but they’re not happy with the delay. The black market’s demand is getting higher and they need the supplies. We don’t have the supplies, Jaehyun. Garnet is not reaching back to us. Which is aggravating,” the Gold card says, finally sending the last mail and closing the laptop to face Jaehyun, “Since they need our feedback and orders. We can’t keep that share without our own contribution.”

“Does anyone know the main bank account Red Phoenix uses? We can look for another supplier for the drugs, at least – preferably from Europe as well. We can pay them first to secure the spot.” Jaehyun starts pacing back and forth as anxiety clothes him, sticking like an outer layer. “Have you tried messaging the other partners?”

“Our clients will know if the product’s from Garnet. They wouldn’t want a downgrade. Garnet’s brand only can put a ton of money on a few grams of H.”

They’re the only ones in the living room. Johnny and Taeyong are most likely doing god knows what in their shared room while Yuta naps and Sicheng busies himself with a video game.

Jaehyun doesn’t even want to know what a certain redhead’s up to. Ten Chittaphon had been doing nothing as the self-proclaimed boss of the remaining Red Phoenix members. For the past two weeks, he hasn’t spotted him taking his new title seriously by actually talking to the clients. It’s only been him and Doyoung staying up late for futile attempts in mollifying their clients’ anger.

He should’ve realized sooner that words coming out of Ten Chittaphon’s mouth are nothing but full of crazy bullshit only meant for the latter’s own kind of entertainment.

The thought sets his emotions ablaze. Fists clenching on his sides, Jaehyun feels the growing temptation to stalk upstairs and put a bullet in the madman’s chest for good. Less insanity in the house, less problems.

“It also appears that the bank account is currently frozen. It might be due to an unseen issue, most likely harmless. Even if we try to fix it, they won’t listen to us. It’s highly risky; only Lee Namgyu has everything under control.” Doyoung gets up from his seat with a shake of his head, quietly heading to the kitchen. The cold water rushes down his throat as he drinks, quenching the burning thirst he’s been enduring. “We could fake his authorization, but the only person the bank acknowledges in place of Lee Namgyu is Moon Taeil. The man is gone. Probably dead.”

Jaehyun squints at his direction, “Probably?”

“Well,” the other shrugs, refilling the bottle. “Dragonaire took the important members hostage but we didn’t see him in the warehouse. Before the van that took us sped away, we’ve seen them burning down the HQ – most of it. I don’t think that assistant managed to get away. He might have been smart, but his reflexes are shit as hell. No way is Moon Taeil alive. Poor man, though. That one’s the most trusted in Red Phoenix. He could be a lot of help since he’s practically Lee Namgyu’s vault of information.”

Moon Taeil is dead. As much as Jaehyun disliked how uptight the man was, he admits that the sudden knocks on his door to force him out of sleep helped. If it wasn’t for Moon Taeil, half of Jaehyun’s body was probably still hanging off the bed during meetings.

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Ten Chittaphon fucking give me that!”

The shrill scream coming from upstairs startles both men in the first floor. Loud, rapid footsteps thud against the floor before Jaehyun sees Ten casually climbing downstairs, one hand hidden behind him while the other twists the stick of a lollipop rolling in his mouth. The redhead plops next to him ever so nonchalantly with soulless eyes, blank as a paper.

Jaehyun opens his mouth to say something but Taeyong’s presence beats him to it as the short nurse comes running, screaming at the redhead at the top of his lungs.

Taeyong is fuming, his tiny hands shaking in fury.

“You asshole! Give me that!” The nurse stomps in front of Ten, hand open as though waiting for the other to put there whatever he’s asking for. Jaehyun and Doyoung remain watching clueless in the sidelines, eager to know what’s going on.

“Babe, come on don’t make a scene…”

From the bottom of the stairs stands Johnny with his face flushed red. The redness curtains his skin, continuing past the collar of his shirt. Jaehyun has an idea as to what had been going on before this ruckus.

What did Ten Chittaphon do for Johnny to suffer blue balls?

Taeyong blatantly ignores Johnny’s pleading. And…babe? Jaehyun’s brow piques in interest. The couple looks like they’ve finally become official.

“If you don’t give me that right this second I will throw all of your cigarettes!”

“Right.” Doyoung comes over, standing behind the couch with arms crossed over his chest. “It’s not like this person can’t live with that when we all know he found something better.” Jaehyun feels the knowing look on the side of his face, avoiding Doyoung’s gaze at all costs. “Is it worthy of you twisting your panties?”

The indifferent tone angers Taeyong even more as he glares at Doyoung, going all red in the face. Jaehyun can almost see the steam coming off of the nurse.

Just as Taeyong’s about to strangle Doyoung instead, the man sitting next to Jaehyun raises something, revealing what he’s been hiding on his back, which is apparently Taeyong’s possession if the seething fury says something.

At the sight of a transparent butt plug, silence stretches among all of them.

“Is that…what I think it is?” Doyoung asks, dubious as he points to the explicit object. Taeyong quickly snatches it from Ten and storms upstairs with Johnny in tow. The thundering sound of a door closing makes Jaehyun jump in his seat.

Their attention returns to the silent redhead on the couch who’s currently chewing on the poor lollipop stick. It looks like the candy’s gone.

“Why the fuck would you do that?” Jaehyun asks incredulously.

Ten looks at him, face unreadable. He twists the stick in his mouth for a few seconds before flicking it somewhere and smacking his lips. Jaehyun notices the telltale twitch of his fingers. “I was bored. I heard strange noises from the room across. Do you want to know what I saw?”

A malicious grin splits across Ten’s face – though as wide as it, it doesn’t reach his eyes. Jaehyun shudders at the horror looking straight at him.

“I don’t think I wa-“

Mumbling under his breath about retiring for the night, Doyoung leaves with a heavy sigh. That leaves only Jaehyun and Ten in the dim living room with only the dull light from the muted TV illuminating the whole area.

“Come on,” The ghost of a hot breath hits Jaehyun’s cheek. He had been momentarily distracted by the fact that he’s alone with the man that he failed to notice when the other had gotten this close. The last time they were this physically close was when they were hiding at the cabin…and things got heated. “Ask me.”

The proximity of their faces clogs Jaehyun’s throat. All of a sudden it is difficult to breathe as Ten’s overwhelming presence surrounds him, caging him in. Jaehyun is a man that can hold his ground and avoid trouble, but Ten always proves him wrong – that he’s weak at times, especially when the redhead’s a hair’s breadth away from him. There’s something about Ten Chittaphon that Jaehyun still can’t figure out despite the period they’ve been together and as much as he wants to blame the nature of the psychopath in front of him, something else lays beneath those blue eyes that overpowers him.

All sense of reasoning will be thrown out the window once Ten Chittaphon decides it’s unnecessary. Even the looming problem regarding the lack of response from Garnet and the threats of their clients have been pushed in the back of his mind.

The sharpshooter firmly shakes his head, slowly leaning away. “I won’t.”

Failing to see it coming, Jaehyun gets hurled up from the couch with a tight grip on the front of his shirt. The knife thrower practically drags him upstairs, unrelenting even as Jaehyun attempts to pry him off. Ten kicks open the door to his room and pushes Jaehyun inside before following, turning around and smirking at the sight of poor Winwin witnessing the scene with a scandalized expression before he blocks the arsonist’s view as he locks the door close.

Anyone would feel the same way as the arsonist did, knowing that Jaehyun’s room is two doors after Ten Chittaphon’s. Only a fool wouldn’t know what’s about to happen – and Sicheng’s smart enough not to be a bother.

The back of Jaehyun’s knees hit the bed and he falls down the mattress, propped on his forearms and his legs parted as he gawks up in disbelief at the man before him. “You only want me to ask you – why did you have to drag me here? And please,” Jaehyun scoots back until he feels the headboard pressed behind him, desperate to put as much distance between them. “If you really want to tell me, just tell me.”

“Ask me.” Ten slides one of his hands in his track pants’ pocket as the other repeatedly twists the lock on his door, locking and unlocking it. His back is turned to Jaehyun so it’s impossible to see what face he’s making, although Jaehyun would bet it’s straight and empty, completely forbidding him to know what’s going on inside the man’s head. He later realizes that Ten’s agitated for some reason as the latter grips the doorknob so hard that his knuckles turn white before kicking the door with a hiss. The redhead bites down his fist and faces Jaehyun, eyes wide and shifty.

Jaehyun’s eyes quickly lands on the opened drawer. The sight of cigarette pack gives him a little bit of relief as he takes it and throws it against Ten’s chest. It lands with a clatter on the floor, its content spilling out. Ten makes no move to pick it up and continues to grip the doorknob.

“You’re twitching again. Light your cancer sticks so I can go.”

He receives a glum stare. They hold the eye contact for a few seconds with Jaehyun’s heart drumming against his ribcage before the other bends down to pick one stick.

Ten walks away from the door and rummages through the drawer, grunting when he pulls out a lighter. The end of the stick soon burns and the smoke fills the room. As much as Jaehyun wants to open the window, he can’t. It’s snowing outside and he doesn’t want to freeze.

Why doesn’t he just get up and get out of there?

His body won’t move. Ten Chittaphon inhales a fatal amount of nicotine and settles on the bed, looking at him. His fingers have stopped twitching.

Jaehyun watches the way his chest moves up and down with every inhale and exhale. The smell of cigarette starts sticking to his hair, his clothes, and his skin. Dammit. He will have to shower again.

“Are you going to ask me or not? I don’t have a lot of time.”

“Fucking fine.” The Gold card huffs and props up his arms on bent knees. “What the hell did you see in the room, pervert?”

Ten’s eyes sparkle before he takes one long drag of the cigarette and drops it, stomping on it with his heel twice. It must have burned him even for the tiniest bit. “Well…” He drawls, building up the anticipation. When what seems like a minute or two have passed, he glances at the door with a slightly tilted head, humming. “Nothing filthy was actually happening.”

“What.” Jaehyun deadpans indignantly. Did Ten Chittaphon just make him look like a fool?

The knife thrower whips his head to face Jaehyun so fast that the latter feels genuinely scared for a second that the other’s neck might have snapped. It looks disturbing to say the least.

“Nothing filthy enough to interest me aside from the fact that they were using toys to spice up their bedroom activities. I think that’s the package that arrived at the doorstep a few days ago. The freaks must have used the available credit card in the safe. We could’ve used the money for grocers. Those horny bastards are unbelievable, aren’t they?”

Deliberately, Ten sits closer to Jaehyun. Thankfully he doesn’t hear the latter’s breath hitching or if he did, he’s a good actor for looking like it didn’t reach his ears. “They were also in the middle of fucking. Dog style. Amazing how the shorty could keep it in with how ro-“

“Enough! I don’t wanna hear anything about it!” The redness on his cheeks slowly spread until he’s completely flushed. He really doesn’t want to picture the two doing each other. Jaehyun shudders before glaring menacingly at the man opposite him. “Taeyong should’ve knocked your teeth out of your mouth.”

“Oh fuck that,” The redhead snorts. “I would’ve knocked his off before his short arms could reach me.”

“You talk like you’re that tall. Plus Johnny’s going to kill you.”

Ten grins, highly amused. “And what’s he gonna do? Stick a dynamite up my ass and watch my innards fly across the hall? That’s so sick of him. How could somebody do that to a person, Jaehyun? Inhumane!” Sardonically laughing, Ten kneels up and starts to undo the strings of his track pants.

Alarmed at what the other’s possibly about to do, Jaehyun scrambles to get to the corner. Funny how he’s supposed to be a fearless gunman but here he is, looking pathetic as he tries to get away from the imminent danger that is Ten Chittaphon. “What the hell are you doing!”

“What do you think I’m doing? I told you,” Ten kicks off his pants but thankfully keeps his boxers on. Well, not for long. “That I get twitchy when I want to kill. The cigarettes and candies don’t work for me anymore. Jung Jaehyun, you’re gonna help me, right?”

Blue striking eyes follow the movement of the shooter’s Adam’s apple as Jaehyun gulps in nervousness. He knows the effect he has on the other and he will take advantage of it. Why not? They’re both going to benefit from it and Jaehyun knows that fact – Ten had happily told him back in the cabin. Besides, Jung Jaehyun is one hell of a coward, not admitting to things he actually wants to do. The in-denial man keeps holding on to the belief that he’s straight and he loathes Ten Chittaphon and all of the things relating to him.

His body covers the Gold card shooter’s, arms serving as a trap on each side of Jaehyun. Ten doesn’t press his hips down to show a little mercy but he remains in between the younger’s legs, domineering.

“You don’t want me to kill, right?” Red strands fall over his eyes, sharpening his gaze.

Jaehyun continues to take deep breaths beneath the knife thrower’s form as though to calm the raging thoughts in his head and the swirling emotions. Ten’s hands ball up into tight fists on the mattress, digging as he tries to stop himself from wrapping one around Jaehyun’s throat. Something flashes across his eyes, confirming his desire to coat his hands with blood and Jaehyun submits without a word, hating himself for being too transparent that he can never hide the undeniable carnal want buzzing in his veins.

A small smirk graces the foreigner’s face before his body uncovers Jaehyun’s. Jaehyun’s coal black eyes don’t leave his for a second as he stands at the foot of the bed with such a dominant aura that Jaehyun wants to look away.

He doesn’t.

Ten is a shameless manipulator, cunning and sinister. He won’t back down.

“Take off your shirt.”

Long, manly fingers reach for the hem of his plain black shirt. Jaehyun doesn’t waste a second and removes it, dropping it on the floor. Ten’s eyes rake the clean expanse of skin, a stark contrast to his tattooed torso.

The redhead walks over to the window and opens one side, allowing the cold gust of wind to breeze in and reside in the room. The chilly wind hits Jaehyun’s naked skin and his nipples harden, much to his chagrin and Ten’s delight. He looks like a pushover like this.

“Why did you open the window?”

Ten doesn’t respond to the question instantly, walking back to his previous spot.

“So we’ll have a reason to get hot and bothered with each other. Although getting it up isn’t a problem with me.”

A black pair of eyes immediately travels south and confirms the other’s words for themselves as the sight of a stirring erection beneath a thin fabric dries Jaehyun’s mouth.

“What,” Jaehyun huffs, disbelieving. “You’re already turned on? For what re-“

“Shh. Shut up. Or I’ll borrow Taeyong’s toys and use it on you.” Ten raises his head, his strong presence towering on Jung Jaehyun. “Take your pants off. Leave the boxers on.”

Jaehyun does just that. He doesn’t know what Ten might do if he defies and he’s not about to see what the other has up his sleeves. Knowing how the other’s mind works, Jaehyun is half certain he’s going to sport a few blotches of bruises on his body by the end of the night.

That is if he doesn’t fight back. He can easily slam Ten down and break his skull if he wishes to do so, but he’s not a heartless murderer. The title only suits one certain person.

Pleased with the display of compliance, Ten moves closer. He then shreds off his top, leaving him almost bare except for the hindrance on his lower region. Jaehyun openly ogles the array of black ink on Ten’s skin, captivated by the daring art.

But his favorite will always be the line down Ten’s spine.

He almost doesn’t catch the other’s words, vaguely registering them. Ten Chittaphon’s face had schooled back to the blank as a paper expression, unperceivable.

Believing the other had told him what he thinks Ten did, Jaehyun relaxes on the bed with his legs parted and begins to map his naked skin with his rough hands. If he wasn’t currently looking at Ten, he doubts he’d even feel remotely aroused at his current situation.

Ten’s face is blank but his eyes are hungry, like a starved predator’s waiting for the right time to prowl over his prey. The look fuels Jaehyun to do better, to please the redhead so he makes sure to run his hands all over his torso, teasingly hooking fingers beneath the waistband of his boxers before pulling away, doing it repeatedly in a sensual manner. The rough pads of his fingers run over his pebbled nipples, hissing as he makes a show of twisting one between his thumb and index, pulling and pinching. Holding back a smirk, Jaehyun licks his lips and glances down, only to accidentally let out a soft moan at the sight of Ten’s bulge twitching.

He pretends he doesn’t prefer this kind of twitch over Ten’s random tics.

A cloud fills Ten’s vision, coming from the imminent eruption of volcanic lust. Deciding to sit on the swivel chair, he raises a foot and nudges Jaehyun’s thigh. “Face me.”

Jaehyun’s obedience stirs his cock and Ten aches to rip his boxers off and touch himself. But it’s too early for that. He wants to play with his pet for a while.

The same foot perches on the edge of the bed, between Jaehyun’s legs and right before his crotch.

“Oh fuck…”

Jaehyun’s head rolls back as the foot caresses his clothed cock. Embarrassed at the unrestrained moan that just left him, he attempts to cover his mouth but Ten suddenly presses down his balls, painfully albeit deliciously. It leaves him gasping for air as his length hardens even more if possible.

Lounging on his seat, Ten continues spoiling Jaehyun as his foot goes back to work, tracing the outline of the younger’s cock. A wet patch forms on the fabric and Ten bites down his thumb to stop himself from tearing Jaehyun’s only piece of clothing to fuck the younger raw.

Because for some reason, he wants to be the one feeling that thickness stretching him wide.

The sight of the only Red Phoenix member brave enough to kill him crumbling from his ministrations sets Ten’s body alight, the flames of craving licking on his skin. As Jaehyun writhes from the skilled footwork, Ten thinks of the shooter fucking him senseless, rough and punishing as the cold muzzle of a gun presses between his eyes. In his imagination, the gun slowly traipses the length of his face before slotting itself in his mouth. They continue to fuck like animals even as Jaehyun cocks the gun, and when Ten starts to choke on it, he will have the best orgasm before Jaehyun can even pull the trigger.

“Goddammit.”

Ten sneaks a hand inside his boxers and grips the base of his cock. He doesn’t want to come just yet. If he comes now, it will only feed the other’s ego.

He pushes himself forward, still seated, and pokes Jaehyun’s chin with his foot. The younger man looks at him, eyes hazy with want before following Ten’s wordless order. Jaehyun sits up and discards his last clothing, the tip of his cock slapping against his stomach and leaving a sheen drop of precum. A sticky string connects his skin to the slit on the tip of his cock and Ten’s mouth waters, wanting to suck it good.

But he doesn’t. Instead, the redhead joins Jaehyun in bed after taking off his boxers and faces the headboard, kneeling. With his ass pushed out, Jaehyun takes the invite.

“What,” Breathless, Jaehyun settles behind Ten. His hands immediately find purchase on Ten’s waist and he shameless grinds his cock in between the blue-eyed man’s crack, sliding it up and down while eyeing the French line running down the redhead’s spine. It ends just above his crack and Jaehyun shortly wonders whoever tattooed Ten. The bastard is one hell of a lucky human being.

“You’re gonna let me fuck you?”

His stern face barely holds up as Jaehyun continues to grind. Ten doesn’t even realize he’s already grinding back.

“No, fucktard. This was spontaneous fucking, if I wanted you to stick that dick up my ass I would’ve ordered some strawberry lube online.”

Jaehyun masks the disappointment with a harder grind, the skin between his brows creasing. He doesn’t care if his grip bruises the other; Ten deserves it. “Whatever. It’s not like I’m looking forward to that much.”

If Ten sees through his lies, the other doesn’t show it.

“Fuck my thighs.”

Intercrural. Jaehyun had watched one before. Without wasting a second he closes Ten’s legs tight before pushing his cock in between, grunting at the tightness. It’s a little too rough for him so he quickly spits on his hand and coats his cock with it, slipping back in between the knife thrower’s legs.

Each thrust feels even better than the previous. His erection drags against Ten’s balls and Jaehyun picks up his pace, fucking Ten’s thighs as the last bit of self-restraint leaves him. His hipbones jab Ten’s backside from the forceful impact of his movements, jostling the redhead forward. Ten only holds the headboard tighter to prevent his head from hitting the wall.

“Feels good?”

Jaehyun looks up from having watched his cock slide in and out of those thighs. Ten is smirking, running the tip of his tongue along the seams of his lips like that of a snake’s. Before he could even think of it, Jaehyun grabs a handful of the red strands and harshly yanks, forcing a loud moan out of Ten Chittaphon.

“Feels good?” He throws the question back. When Ten curses, Jaehyun wraps his other hand around the older’s throat and pulls, making him press his back against Jaehyun’s chest. The heat passes back and forth between them as the sharpshooter keeps his steady pace. Ten closes his eyes with a grunt, clawing on Jaehyun’s hand.

“Fuck you, you fucking asshole. You tryna reenact what I did to you there, yeah?” A jeering laugh escapes the knife thrower’s mouth. It only turns Jaehyun on, remembering what they did before. “Do it. Kill me, you gutless bastard. Can you kill me?”

Jaehyun’s hand tightens. Ten gasps before letting out another laugh.

“You can, but you won’t. Compassionate shit like you- aah fuck- w-will feel guilty for killing someone without a justifiable reason. God, touch me, Jaehyun.”

And touching Ten is what he does. Leaving the soft strands reluctantly, Jaehyun’s hand wraps around the other’s neglected cock and strokes it – once, twice, thrice before the headboard is painted with a few strings of white. Jaehyun follows soon after, his hips stuttering into a complete halt as he empties his load on the sheets with a few curses slipping here and there. Some of it hit the headboard as well, mixing with Ten’s as the substance trickles down.

“Get off- it’s fucking sticky.”

Weak from just having reached this climax, Jaehyun lets Ten push him off and plops down, not even having the energy to cover himself up. He follows Ten with his eyes as he tries to calm his breathing, while the other’s already off the bed putting a new pair of clothes on.

“Get out.”

The indifference in Ten’s tone sets him off. Jaehyun forces his body out of bed and picks up his clothes, foregoing the boxers to spite the redhead for kicking him out after using him for physical pleasure. At least the other had stopped twitching like the deranged murderer that he is.

When he finishes putting his clothes back on, Jaehyun quickly leaves the suffocating room and kicks the door just because, although it’s probably to release his pent-up frustration before softly knocking once on each of the other doors, alerting the occupants of his presence.

He’s already seated at the kitchen when the rest of the squad comes. Taeyong still looks pissed at the very least with Johnny sporting an apologetic gaze. Yuta’s hair sticks in different directions, eyes droopy. Winwin unfortunately takes the only seat left in front of Jaehyun so he makes it his job not to look into the other’s eyes, fully knowing what just transpired in Ten Chittaphon’s room. Doyoung’s fingers drum restlessly on the tabletop, impatient.

“Is this finally the talk you’ve warned us before? I wonder what this is going to be about.”

Jaehyun rubs a hand on his cheek when he accidentally makes eye-contact with the man across him. He doesn’t know why Winwin looks embarrassed. Is there something on his face?

Choosing to answer Doyoung, Jaehyun sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Yes. As you can see all of our efforts have been futile for the past two weeks. We keep promising the incoming deliveries when we have literally nothing on hand. We can always run away from these responsibilities and tell them Red Phoenix is over, but like what you’ve said earlier, it’s not going to be easy. We’re going to have men trying to have our heads every single day. The clients are aware that we’re still operating due to the mails we’ve sent them. Although they should have a clue as to why all operations seem to have stopped. They will be demanding the Kingpin’s presence anytime soon.”

Yuta frowns at the news, baffled. “You mean they’d talk to Ten?”

“He’s not our boss,” The growl that comes out of Jaehyun startles every single one of them. There’s so much hostility and indignance in his voice that they forget the other had been a little too close with the mentioned person. “He will never be. He can’t do Lee Namgyu’s job. Hell, none of us can do it even with the perfectly intact mindset. Ten Chittaphon has a mind of his own and he doesn’t give a shit about the clients. If he’d thought of these people chasing us down, he wouldn’t be scared. Rather, it’s going to excite him. That’s probably why you don’t see him using one of the available computers to reach out to anyone. He’s letting these people wait for nothing ‘til they can’t take it anymore. I shouldn’t have…” He pauses, hesitant. “I shouldn’t have felt guilty leaving him with Dragonaire.”

Doing nothing is what Jaehyun hates the most. Staying in Invictus as a subordinate of a subordinate leaves a toxic taste in his tongue hence the reason he shed blood, sweat and tears just to be able to join Red Phoenix. When he joined the first-rate organization, he was fully prepared for all of its responsibilities that will be poured over his head. He was ready for the sleepless nights and danger that entails. If the fallen organization’s responsibilities will fall on their hands as the remaining members, then so be it. Regardless how hard it will be, Jaehyun will prove his true worth as an existing Red Phoenix Gold card. Besides, he hasn’t forgotten yet the challenge his father gave him when he decided to break free from Invictus.

“I’ll let you go. You can only come back with a name for yourself both locally and internationally. If you return as a nobody, best believe that I won’t see you as my son, but as a failure.”

“Then say, what should we do? You guys said Garnet won’t talk to us. They’re our biggest supplier and we also have money from them, but we can’t do that without giving our part of the deal. Are they suddenly turning their back on us? They don’t know yet what has happened to Red Phoenix.” Taeyong huffs, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. “This is ridiculous.”

Doyoung chimes in when he senses the start of an argument. “There’s no reason for them to suddenly shut us out. That’s like turning your back on your roots. They’ve also started as a local Korean mafia. There must be something going on within their organization. But we can’t just sit back and relax.”

“So what do you suggest we do?” Johnny asks.

They only have one choice left. And no matter how pathetic it’s going to make them look, especially Jaehyun, there’s no other way but to seek their help. Invictus might just be a subgroup of Red Phoenix, making them second-rate, but they have enough support for the plan Jaehyun has in mind.

“Listen,” The Gold card shooter starts, quickly taking a wary glance at the staircase. “This might sound difficult, but we have to give this a shot. We’re going to forget being Red Phoenix members.”

“What?” Winwin blurts out for the first time, staring wide-eyed at Jaehyun. “You want us to break away from Red Phoenix?”

“Red Phoenix is over; we can’t ignore that. We don’t have Lee Namgyu and all the other men handling the primary business transactions. What I want to propose to all of you is that we can join Invictus, think about our next plans and ask for support. We will head to France to talk to Garnet. As much as possible we have to get ahold of Garnet before resorting to other willing suppliers. We can’t do that without a plane to get us out of here without presenting legal documents. We’re crime syndicates. It’d be easy if we’re French citizens but we’re not. Think about it. Keeping Red Phoenix to our name is useless now if not as a legacy.”

Silence blankets the whole place before Doyoung nods, finding no fault from Jaehyun’s proposal. “So we don’t have concrete plans yet aside from joining Invictus. Is it going to be easy?”

Jaehyun shakes his head, suddenly uncertain. “It won’t be. Entering Invictus is a piece of cake but reaching out to Garnet is not in their agenda. Invictus is local. I’ll convince my father to let us do what we want to do.”

“Is that all for tonight? When are we heading to their HQ?” The Japanese shooter inquires with a yawn. Jaehyun’s eyes roll.

“Yeah, you sleepy head. It’s all for tonight. We’ll go there as soon as possible. But I have one favor to ask from you guys.”

Five pairs of worried eyes direct to him.

“You’re not going to speak about anything we’ve talked about to Ten Chittaphon. He’s not coming with us.”

Jaehyun immediately senses the mixture of apprehension and confusion in the air. It’ll be reasonable. No one likes Ten Chittaphon. Not even him.

“He’ll never be able to help us. He’s just a burden. We’re leaving when he’s knocked out.”

***

Blue eyes stare blankly on the wall opposite him at the top of the staircase. Ten silently pushes himself up, standing straight with both hands slid into the pockets of his pants. Without even causing the softest noise he returns to the darkness of his room and sits on the bed, teeth gritting.

Something flits behind the sharpness of his gaze, akin to the time the redhead discovered the murder of Lee Namgyu and his sister in the hands of Kim Taejun.

“What a bunch of fools.”

0o0o0

The little squad is complete downstairs when Ten decided to come out of his room. Everyone is doing their own thing from a single swipe of his eyes. Spotting his target typing something on a laptop, Ten quickly jogs down and calmly sits next to Jaehyun. It seems like it’s been an automatic thing for him to do when he sees a vacant space near the Gold card shooter.

This time, Jaehyun doesn’t react negatively. No one even spares him a glance and Ten bites back an acidic comment, remembering what he heard from last night.

“Hey.”

Jaehyun doesn’t look at him. He’s immensely focused on whatever he’s typing and judging from a quick glance, Ten realizes it’s another mail to a client.

“Hey.”

He repeats, a little louder. Johnny throws him a look from where he stands by the counter with an apple on hand before leaving, joining Taeyong in front of the TV.

“If you don’t stop doing that I’m going to use that laptop to smash your head open. I believe that will be a tedious cleaning for me.” Ten monotonously threatens with a stone face, looking at Jaehyun while he chews on a hangnail. “I’m not kidding.”

Slamming the laptop close, Jaehyun finally faces him. “What do you want now?”

“Don’t be so uptight. I’m not going to ask for your sexual services. I’m very considerate, you know. I think you’re still tired from our very intimate liaison last night.” Shameless as he is, Ten blurts it out with no care for whoever might hear him. He pretends not to hear someone’s breath hitching and a sharp gasp as he opens the fridge, grabbing a bag of candies before sitting back. Popping a candy into his mouth, Ten observes how the others have stiffened, a far cry from their previously lax postures. Moreover, the redness on Jaehyun’s cheeks is far more interesting that anything in this household.

“What. Cat got your tongue? Impossible. I don’t want to think I’m a cat. What do you think am I, Jaehyun? A lion? A lion is very fitting, right?”

The shooter scoffs. “A lion is widely known as the king of the jungle. You’re a nuisance. I’d say you’re a snake.”

Ten feigns hurt by placing a hand on his chest but the lack of emotions on his face betrays the act. “How dare you belittle snakes like that? And out of all animals, a snake? Is it because of the way my tongue moves under your gaze during the heat of those moments?”

“Stop talking about that, will you? You make it sound like I enjoyed it. Newsflash, Ten. You’re not that special.”

“But I’m still special, based on your sentence construction. Anyway, your obvious denials aside, let’s go somewhere.”

Jaehyun’s brow rises. “You’re kidding me. It’s snowing outside.”

“So? It’s not a snowstorm. A drizzle of puffy snows won’t scar your pretty face. Come on, let’s go somewhere.”

Ten receives a huff from Jaehyun. It looks like the younger’s barely holding on to the last bits of patience before a fist meets the side of his face.

“May I remind you that you hate going out?”

Ten rolls the candy on the pocket of his cheek, rubbing the flavor on it. “I do.”

“You’d rather stay in.”

The sound of a candy crushing under the heavy weight of teeth reaches Jaehyun’s ears. The knife thrower still hasn’t stopped his nasty habit of eating noisily.

“You’re such a keen observer, Jaehyun.”

“Then why,” Jaehyun’s jaw clenches. “Why do you wanna go out?”

“If I say I just want to?” The others began noticing the growing tension between the two at the kitchen. Ten fights the urge to flip a finger when he senses the glare coming from Yuta.

“You’re never serious.”

“That hurts me. You keep hurting my non-existent feelings.” Ten swallows the shattered remnants of the candy before delving his hand in the bag, looking for another one of the same candy. “Examples?”

Jaehyun smirks. “Oh, you want examples. Alright. Since it looks like the genius’ memories were washed away. You killed Kim Jaeseok because it was a game to you.”

“Fuck you.” Ten spits, glaring. “Why the fuck are you stirring old shit up? Can’t you come up with something else? You’re gonna make me dream about that useless puppet’s screams. I know I told you they sounded great before, but not anymore when they keep playing in my head when I sleep.”

Jaehyun shakes his head, giving the laptop to Doyoung.

“Anything else?”

The shooter faces Ten again, stern. “You called yourself a Kingpin but never did actual work.”

The knife thrower scoffs, chewing the candy. “Who said I wasn’t doing something? Do you trust me with the business communications?”

Winwin passes by, trying to be as invisible as possible by hunching his shoulders, but an arm shoots out and blocks his way before his eyes meet Ten’s. The half-Korean man doesn’t say anything but picks up a handful of fries from the bowl the Chinese man is holding and lets the latter continue on his way to get something from the fridge.

Why the hell is everyone eating and not leaving them alone in the kitchen to talk? Ten’s fingers start twitching and his hands quickly clench before Jaehyun takes notice.

“You mean to tell me you’re doing something. Good joke. And no; no one trusts you.”

Jaehyun supposes it should hurt the other even in the slightest bit, but suddenly remembering that the man in front of him had brought this whole mess upon them in the first place, he knows it will take a whole building collapsing over the redhead to actually inflict an amount of pain.

Ten grins. “Exactly. You’d rather do it – climb ladders and expand networks like the ambitious bitch that you are.”

“Are we going out or are you going to spend the whole day insulting me?”

“Let’s go.”

***

Dressed in a thick jacket over two layers of shirts and ripped jeans that defeats the purpose of staying warm, Ten occupies the shotgun seat in the van, dismissing seatbelt.

Jaehyun is wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a trench coat over it, as well as tight jeans that cling gloriously on his long legs. It’s pretty convenient that the hideout is more stocked with necessities than the cabin.

“So,” The Gold card shooter revs the engine and subtly raises a hand at Johnny standing at the front door before maneuvering out of the parking lot and onto the main road as they exit the village. Going in and out isn’t a security problem as the vehicle they stole from Dragonaire was quickly disposed and the one they’re currently using is the designated van registered under Red Phoenix in case of emergency. “Where are we going?”

“The beach.” Ten mutters.

Jaehyun pins him a judging side glance before watching the road. “The beach…?”

“Did I stutter?”

“You don’t look exactly like the type to swim during winter.”

“You look exactly like someone who acts smart pretending they know someone like me.” The redhead folds his legs, hiking his shoes on the seat with his hands on his knees. “You think I’m sick in the head, yeah? Why are you suddenly questioning my logic?”

The black haired man groans, lightly slapping a hand on the steering wheel. “God, I liked you better when you didn’t talk a lot.”

“Ahuh.”

He can feel the open stare burning the side of his head and it irks Jaehyun, keeping him from focusing on the road. Under the unnerving stare of the knife thrower, he squirms a bit on his seat and hardens his look forward, set to ignore the annoying man next to him. “So…why the beach?”

“Shut up, Jaehyun. You have so many questions.” Ten picks his ear with his little finger, eyes unblinking as they continue to stare at the man behind the steering wheel.

“Right.” Jaehyun sighs. “Pardon me for not understanding the way your brain works.”

At that the heavy weight of stare on his side profile vanishes as Ten opts to watch the scenery outside. There’s nothing much aside from the tall building structures as they’re yet to leave the crowded area of the city. The ride to the closest beach will take them at least an hour due to the layer of snow on the road.

Several minutes pass before Jaehyun decides to take a surreptitious glance on the other. Thankfully, Ten is still engrossed watching the falling snow sticking on the window and breathing on the moistness before drawing random figures on it for him to notice the stolen glimpse. His mind takes him to a quick tour back when they were sent away by Lee Namgyu to hide his son. Flashes of memories appear in Jaehyun’s head – the natural caramel shade of long tresses cascading down the middle of Ten’s chest, the way it was braided sometimes, the sunlight hitting the side of his face to accentuate the sharpness of his features, and how his hair danced with the wind on the day they went out to buy plastic spoons. Realizing he still has the weird fixation over the redhead’s caramel tresses, Jaehyun clears his throat and wills the thoughts away.

Ten Chittaphon doesn’t look the same anymore. His hair’s a vibrant red, short and messily cut on the bottom. It made him look even more intimidating. Jaehyun’s belief that the color suits him still stands, though. He still got that slit on his brow and the array of rings on his earlobe. The new scars littering some areas of his face add another untold story to the people that will cross paths with him for the first time.

But he’s not a mystery to Jaehyun, unlike before. Ten Chittaphon doesn’t tickle his fancy the way he used to. If Jaehyun thought he’d love to solve this enigma, then he takes it back. Ten did nothing but to hold him back from reaching his goals. Getting tangled with the redhead isn’t in his plans. His stepping stone to a greater opportunity has fallen because the man next to him can’t function the way they’re supposed to.

If he doesn’t get away, he’s going down without shinier, louder, bigger achievements in his name.

He needs to get rid of Ten Chittaphon as soon as possible.

They park by the side of the road. The beach is empty, courtesy of the freezing weather. Ten closes the door of the van behind him before walking to the shore as Jaehyun lags behind.

The sand is covered in snow. All benches and scattered trees from a distance are frozen white. Jaehyun follows the other as he tries not to visibly shiver, zipping his trench coat up to the base of his throat.

As he nears the water, the soft sound of it washing over the shore oddly makes him feel relieved despite the chaos looming over them. He pushes everything into the back of his mind before stopping right behind the redhead, wondering what’s going on inside that rotten brain. 

“Why are we here?” Jaehyun breaks the silence. A puff of air forms in front of his face and he blows, childishly poking through the cloud.

“It’s so cold, Jaehyun.” Ten walks closer to the waters and dips the heel of his shoe, wetting it.

The younger can’t deny it’s a little amusing, although stupid. He can’t figure out why Ten randomly acts dumb given the level of his IQ. He remembers that one time the redhead asked for cereal knowing there’s none.

“Have you ever felt betrayed?” Ten turns around, facing him. Jaehyun can’t see through the intense eyes as they pin at his. He can never.

It takes a few seconds of pregnant pause before Jaehyun manages to answer. “Not really.”

Ten nods, still staring. His eyes are probably drying from rarely blinking but it looks like it doesn’t bother him. “Good. Do you wanna listen to me talk about my father?”

He doesn’t wait for Jaehyun to say something as he leaves the shore, heading over to one of the snow-covered benches. Ten removes the snow as much as possible before sitting down, one leg crossed over the other. Jaehyun remains standing on the side.

“I’m more concerned on the fact that you called him your father.”

“Eh. My bad. Then I’ll refer to him with his name. Taking that as a yes, I’ve tasted betrayal on the day Lee Namgyu forgot he fucked my mother and left.” Ten pulls out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket and lights one, swiftly inhaling it. It fills his lungs hotly, coating it with black before it dissipates into the chilly air. “I was barely eight, or whatever, I fucking forgot already. He brought us here in Korea. He was never there for the holidays, birthdays; he was just there once or twice a month, max of three once in a blue moon if he’s bored out of his wits and wanted some temporary entertainment. Introduced me to knife throwing. So if you think I’m good,” Ten flicks the ash on the ground and scoffs. “You might as well give him some credit. Just the tiniest. I still do it the way I do because of me.”

Jaehyun shrugs. “That’s expectedly arrogant of you.” Everything that the redhead told him didn’t just quickly exit his other ear. The image of a little boy waiting for his father to come home, not knowing when it would be leaves a shallow gash on his heart. Lee Namgyu’s children were innocent, at least the lady who was murdered in the expense of her brother who had wandered off of the right path. Jaehyun inwardly chuckles. As someone who works for the biggest menaces of the modern world, he shouldn’t have the right to have an opinion over what’s right and wrong. Still, he had been taught morals when he was young.

His attention goes back to the smoker when he hears an irritated click of tongue. “Do you want me to cut your tongue? You know how I had to survive on my own, alright.”

“Continue.”

Ten rolls his eyes before puffing out another cloud of cancerous smoke. “Good. Fucking interruption. Alright so he stopped coming over. We didn’t even know what kind of work he did. The geezer met my mother at a club, fucked her, had me and Olivia, dropped by like a stranger and disappeared without a word. Got sick of the routine, perhaps. And maybe, we held him back from expanding his job.” A flash of annoyance graces Ten’s features as he waves a hand in the air apathetically, lips curving downwards. “Didn’t even have the decency to send some money. I think it improved when I left, seeing that my mother and sister survived until I messed up Kim Jaeseok. Olivia and I learned to forget we even had a father. She’s more emotionally attached to familial shit like this, you know.” At the mention of his sister, Ten unknowingly smiles, though it’s almost invisible to the eye of anyone who doesn’t give enough attention.

Jaehyun watches as the other shakes his head, opting to remain quiet and listen attentively for the last time.

“I don’t even know how Dragonaire found them.” Blue eyes meet black ones, searching. The cigarette falls on the snowy ground and hisses as it hits a wet patch. “You think Namgyu was keeping tabs?”

“That’s possible.”

The Gold card shooter must have answered wrongly for Ten’s eyes harden, and his fingers flittingly twitch before they find purchase on the hem of his jacket. “How fatherly.” His blank expression comes back and Jaehyun finally decides to sit next to him, leaving a fair distance in between. “Well, that’s another part of me unveiled to you for free. How fucking generous. You should be grateful, yeah? You’re really a lot fortunate in life than I will ever be.”

The remark ticks Jaehyun off. “Are you back on guilt tripping me?”

“Heh,” Ten’s mouth presses into a flat line stretching up on the corners, giving him a funny look. “If you feel guilty, then I gotta tell you you’re not fit for this. Jaehyun, with a heart like that you can never reach the top.” The knife thrower says as though he’s certain of it. It aggravates the fire in Jaehyun’s chest, making the younger glower at him. Ten holds the stare.

“Who told you that’s what I want?” Jaehyun asks, testing. He lets the older man walk away and head to the shore again before he follows, immensely irritated. “Ten Chittaphon, I’m talking to you.”

A strong gust of wind breezes past them, messing the red strands. Ten chooses to face him then as his fringe curtains the antagonistic pair of blue eyes, malevolent and unforgiving.

It almost knocks Jaehyun off of his feet.

“Every single one in the mafia is power hungry. You and your squad? Just a bunch of overgrown kids lost in a place you don’t fit in. No matter the skillset, the background, the competence. Once you think of an ounce of control landing in the palm of your hands, you can never get rid of it. You tell me I’m incapable. But all you need to survive is the lack of humanity and you have so much of that.”

Each word stabs like a needle in Jaehyun’s chest, prickly and tingly and stingy to the point that he wants to scratch it away but he can’t. He had heard worse from his father who prevented him to experience their lifestyle and questioned his capabilities, but the weight from the simple words that a murderous man like Ten crushes him more painfully than before.

It’s fine. Let it. You’re not going to see him again after this.

“What really is the purpose of us going here? Surely not for you to lecture me.”

Ten takes a step back. “Just to talk. It’s so loud back in the hideout. So loud that I can’t even hear my own demons.”

“Idiot. You’re your own demon.”

“Point taken.” Ten takes a few more steps back until the waters lick his feet. “Jaehyun?” He calls, gesturing with a finger for the other to come closer.

To which Jaehyun follows without thinking twice. He expects everything from that signal – a malicious grin, a biting remark, an indifferent shrug, everything – but not the sucker punch to his jaw coming right out of the blue that sends him staggering back with a pained grunt as he cups the side of his face, eyes blown as he looks dumbfounded at the cause of the nasty throb on his jaw.

“What the fuck?!”

Shaking his hand, Ten stalks over to Jaehyun. “That’s for the future.”

“What the hell are you even talking about? Shit,” Jaehyun moves away as Ten nears him. “Are you fucking insane? The hell did you do that for?”

“I said,” Ten growls, clenching his fist yet again as he throws another punch to which Jaehyun successfully blocks with a forearm, but not the rough kick to his stomach. He cries out in pain but remains standing, although hunched. “For the future. Fucking…”

Ten pats down his torso, cursing as he only manages to grasp the pack of cigarettes. “Right when I needed those fucking knives again.”

“Are you gonna kill me?! You’re crazy!” Jaehyun exclaims, rubbing his stomach before widening his stance as he prepares for another attack from Ten. “I swear to god if you say it’s because you’re bored–“

“What?” Ten lights a stick and hurls it at Jaehyun with a maniacal laugh. “You’re gonna kill me? The worst thing you did was point a gun right in my face. You think I was scared, you sonnuva bitch?” Spitting in English, Ten continues giggling through his mockery. “There was no fucking bullet that time!”

Jaehyun realizes he didn’t bring a gun. He’d gotten careless for the past weeks, complacent that no one from Dragonaire is out to get them. “How did you know that?” Not letting his guard down, Jaehyun raises his fists, ready for the redhead’s assault.

“Oh, I know. I always know.”

An arm swings for a punch to the other side of his jaw and Jaehyun dodges, throwing one at the redhead’s breathtaking face. Ten grunts, spits blood on the snowy ground as he licks the open wound on his lip caused by Jaehyun’s punch before charging at the taller man. Jaehyun saw the attack before it even happens, one-upping Ten by turning and shifting behind him as he curls an arm around the redhead’s neck.

Ten splutters as Jaehyun drags him to the waters, flailing when the shooter slams his head down, drowning him. Jaehyun is shaking as he keeps the head underwater, stepping on Ten’s back. He doesn’t care if the other dies from hypothermia. He had long stopped caring.

“Are you gonna fucking stop acting like a child, huh?!”

The flailing stops. Jaehyun watches as Ten Chittaphon grows lax in the water, all resistance gone. He quickly pulls away and staggers, chest drumming so loud at the thought that he actually killed him.

“Fuck,” Jaehyun clutches his hair with both hands, pulling. Eyes wide, he continues to look at the unmoving body before jerking in shock as Ten pushes himself up, matted hair sticking on his face just as his clothes cling to his body like second skin.

The knife thrower silently walks out of the water shivering, teeth chattering as he walks up to Jaehyun who grew rigid, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of the sea.

“See? You can’t even kill a murderer for self-defense without feeling like a pussy about it.”

Jaehyun calms down, patting his chest and hastily scruffs Ten, dragging him back to the van. He ignores the way the other shudders and doesn’t even swat his hand away, but lets Jaehyun manhandle him back into the vehicle.

The door closes with a force as Jaehyun carelessly hurls Ten inside. He gets into the driver’s seat soon and revives the engine, speeding back to the hideout with rage barely held back inside of him.

“That was foul, Ten. What are you, an opossum? Playing dead?”

Ten doesn’t answer. The only sound coming from him is the chattering of his teeth before he turns off the air-condition and tears off his jacket, as well as the two layers of shirt. Jaehyun catches a glimpse of the scabbing bullet wound on his left arm, as well as a few healed cuts that the knife thrower certainly got from the fight with Kim Taejun.

They ignore each other for the rest of the ride. No one says anything as Jaehyun storms up to his room, and Ten enters the house drenched from head to toe. Some strands of his hair are already coated with ice, quickly melting as the heat in the house blankets him.

***

2:30 A.M.

Johnny quickly zips up a small bag and tends to Taeyong, helping him pack his own things. “Do we need this much medical supply? Jaehyun,” He scans the room, looking for the shooter. “Do we need to bring all of these? No one’s tailing us, right?”

“None. Leave all kits, the bombs too. Invictus has all of that. The gates will detect the explosives. We don’t want them raining bullets on us before we can even get in.” Jaehyun turns off the laptop and stuffs it into a bag.

After making sure that they have all that they need, Jaehyun leads them into the vehicle, closing the door as quietly as possible. The window of Ten’s bedroom remains close even as the van wheels out of the lot and far away from the house, giving them an illusion that the abandoned Red Phoenix member is out like a light, completely unaware of their departure.

Ten’s eyes open as soon as the house turns silent, too silent that he could almost hear a pin drop. With a plan in mind, Ten gets off the bed, turning the light on and pulling out a laptop from under the mattress. He moves like a machine, indifferent and quick as the gadget lights up in front of him. Seated on the swivel chair, he opens the bag of candies kept hidden in the drawer and sucks on a grape lollipop, rubbing the sweet slick on the pocket of his cheek.

A series of codes were typed on the screen before a page of mails comes up. The redhead patiently reviews each one of them, squinting at the number of messages sent to Garnet without a reply from the European organization. Another bunch of them appears to be responses from the local clients, demanding Red Phoenix to give them the orders settled a month ago.

“Couldn’t they have just said the packages were stuck in customs or something like that, instead of begging for more time like sorry asses?”

Ten opens one incoming mail. It’s from the same demanding small mob group too eager to get the bags of drugs to distribute to celebrities and politicians. With a cheeky grin, he types a response, hitting enter with a devious cackle falling from thin, chapped lips.

‘Stop fucking complaining, it’s not like you pay so much for a few bags of shit you’re gonna inhale before you hand them out. Stay tuned, alright. You’ll get your orders in no time. Let’s say, 84 years. Til then.

Xoxo,

Red Phoenix’

Ten quickly deletes the mail. His mind takes him back to the issue with Garnet and wonders what takes them long from reaching back. Lee Namgyu spoke highly of them as the European org even generously gave Red Phoenix a huge share in exchange of loyal patrons in Korea. They simply can’t turn their backs, knowing that Red Phoenix gets a ton of customers as a first-rate group.

“This isn’t too simple, is it? There’s more to it than meets the eye.” A thumb rubs over Ten’s wounded lip, reopening the cut. His tongue quickly laps on the blood before sucking as he leans towards the desk, fingers rapidly pressing over keys as he opens another window of codes.

It takes him a few minutes to retrieve deleted mails. Most of them are messages sent to rejected offers. What catches Ten’s attention are the few mails sent to a deactivated account. It appears that the content is retrievable but the account cannot be located without tracing the server.

“Why is Garnet dismissing Red Phoenix, that’s what I want to know since it’s getting these traitors’ panties in a twist.”

Tracing the server is a piece of cake. The contents are sent to a local account. Completely baffled as he’s aware that the custom-made e-mailing system by the organization blocks unknown accounts, Ten downloads the restored files in the suspicious mails and opens them once successfully downloaded.

His blue eyes harden at the sight of Red Phoenix’s proposals to Garnet blaring on the screen. These are the files transferred to the deactivated account. There is no valid reason for anyone in Red Phoenix to send these to someone else. The only ones with a right to get ahold of these is Garnet, solely due to them being the primary beneficiary of these projects. Red Phoenix was supposed to strengthen their ties with the European groups using these yet-to-be-revealed deals. Reading the technicalities in these files is easy for a Red Phoenix member aware of the organization’s operations and expansion plans. No one is going to send these to anyone outside of Red Phoenix.

The talk of the squad from the other night suddenly rings in Ten’s head. From what he heard, they are confused as well as to why Garnet is being unresponsive. The part that piques Ten’s interest is Jung Jaehyun being adamant in trying to continue the pending operations, even going as far as rejoining his previous organization just to please the patrons.

“There must be a catch, right? I thought you were too ambitious to go back to a second-rate group? What are you going to do, Jaehyun?” Ten reads over the proposals and reopens the suspicious mails. “What’s your purpose by reaching out to Garnet without Red Phoenix? Are you fooling all of us all this time?”

A chuckle slips past Ten’s lips and the lollipop drops to his lap, leaving a sticky patch on his pants. “These strange mails… Someone had been wanting to end Red Phoenix within the organization. I wonder if it’s one of you there. Though it’s been,” Blue eyes squint close to the monitor. “Been a while, huh. Almost two months since these were illegally sent, but you bastards are getting brave trying to talk to Garnet with a low-class name. Is it you, Kim Doyoung? You’ve been partnering up with Jung Jaehyun for the past two weeks. Are you planning to use these proposals to have Invictus take those shares meant for Red Phoenix?”

At his ridiculous assumption, Ten Chittaphon erupts into a fit of laughter, eyes teary as he doubles over clutching his stomach.

“Holy shit! Is that,” The redhead gradually calms down, pointing at the files flashing on the screen. “Is that why someone easily found us? Was this all a set-up? Did you guys kill my sister and the Kingpin for this? Were you all fucking partnering up with Dragonaire, luring them with money only to set both parties up in the end? Was murdering Kim Jaeseok an unseen convenience on your favor? Fucking genius. You’re all possibly the biggest traitors, huh.”

“Who among you did this,” Quickly slamming the laptop shut, Ten lights up a cigarette and deeply inhales the nicotine, the base of his throat hollowing from how eager he is in tormenting his lungs. He coughs out and laughs as his fingers begin to twitch. “Come on, fucktards, give me a reason to drink someone’s blood again. I’ve been deprived.”

Slouching on the seat, the redhead stares up the ceiling as the cloud of smoke forms right in front of his face. The image of Jung Jaehyun’s face flashes for a split second before it disappears, breaking into a thousand flecks.

“I’m going to ruin you for betraying me. All of you. You won’t climb the ladder that Lee Namgyu built by himself. Say, what would Garnet do if they knew you’re using Red Phoenix to your advantage?”

A smirk graces his almost perfect features.

“Seems like we’re playing another game…”

0o0o0

“This better be good, Jaehyun. I was not expecting this sudden influx of people. I wasn’t even dreaming of seeing you anytime soon. Does this have anything to do with the sudden disappearance of Red Phoenix? I had some of my men head to your HQ, only to see most of it burned down.”

The Kingpin of Invictus, Jung Heejun speaks calmly but the words thunder over their heads with an unspeakable threat. Jaehyun had briefed the squad about his father being against his return after he begged to break free from the organization. He still doesn’t have a prouder name in his possession, no better achievements yet to show off, and he’s already coming back after a short time.

An utter failure.

Jaehyun approaches his father, ignoring the anxious stares of his friends. “Dad, Red Phoenix had a war with Dragonaire. One of the previous members killed their heir. It was a long story, but both of those organizations are gone. Completely wiped out of the scene. Now, all the clients, major and smalltime patrons are demanding the supplies. The HQ is ruined; Garnet won’t talk to us for some reason. We can’t allow this to happen. They’re going to come for us one of these days.”

“Then why don’t you just disclose the truth?” The old man roars, instilling fear on the rest of the squad. His gaze is sharp despite the age and his hair is combed back in perfection. He’s not wearing a formal suit due to being alerted of their arrival out of the blue, but the polo shirt and gray, ironed pants still give him an air of authority.

Jaehyun sighs. “Even if we do that, there is still so much money invested in Red Phoenix. Isn’t Invictus still relying on Lee Namgyu as well? You’re not feeling alarmed?”

“We have found a new supplier for the electronics, Jaehyun. I don’t know why you’re so adamant on trying to keep a ghost organization.”

The faces of the squad members fall, sensing a futile attempt in convincing the Kingpin of Invictus to let them in. Seeing the sullen looks, Jaehyun straightens, facing his father.

“Remember what you told me before? That I can’t step a foot in here if I haven’t proved anything yet. The stepping stone for me to reach an even bigger goal is gone – poof, just like that. I have a proposal to make, dad.”

Skeptic, the Kingpin nods. “What is it?”

“The proposals,” Jaehyun looks back at Doyoung who’s clearly unaware of the younger’s plans. “We can use Red Phoenix’s expansion proposal to raise the status of Invictus. It will allow us to enter the European market and also take Red Phoenix’s 34% share. In that way, we will be the one to cater to these clients. They don’t care if it’s coming from Red Phoenix or not, as long as the primary source of the products is Garnet. Currently, Red Phoenix is the only Korean group to have a partnership with them. These clients don’t have any other suppliers.”

The squad members wear one expression on their faces: awe. They haven’t thought of that yet. They still have Red Phoenix’s documents saved in the laptop. Red Phoenix had been planning for this even before the arrival of the new recruits, so to say that they’re shocked that Jaehyun knows it is an understatement. It looks like the sharpshooter has been studying the proposals and reserving this plan until it’s necessary. This should be good enough to convince Jung Heejun to let them join.

They hold their breaths as the Kingpin stares at Jaehyun, scrutinizing.

“Are you certain that this will work out?”

Hope sparks in Jaehyun’s chest. “No. But this is worth the try. We need to head over to France as soon as possible. Dad, I don’t want to stay a second-rate. I need you to help us.”

The man doesn’t keep them waiting for a response. “Let’s talk about this tomorrow. It is very late. Lay out everything you need and we will arrange a private flight as soon as possible.” He finally acknowledges the others’ presence, gazing at them critically. “There are vacant sleeping quarters. Lead them there.”

Jaehyun wants to shout in glee. He didn’t expect it to be this easy. It seems like his father also wants to upgrade their local status.

“Don’t disappoint me, Jaehyun.”

“I won’t.”

***

Jaehyun opens a door and lets Doyoung in, switching the light on. “The bed in Red Phoenix is bigger, but I hope this one doesn’t fail your standards.”

“You think I’m a picky person.” Doyoung settles in bed, putting his bag next to his feet. “I feel lighter now that I’m in a proper group again. Though I must say, your guards are scarier than the ones in Red Phoenix; they look like they wanna perforate my skull.”

The rare humor coming from Doyoung makes Jaehyun snort as the latter leans against the doorway. “You should rest now. You still have three hours before dad calls for a meeting.”

Jaehyun turns to close the door when the other stops him from leaving. “Yes?”

Doyoung has a mixture of awe and bewilderment etched on his face as he meets Jaehyun’s eyes. “When did you come up with that plan?”

“Ah…” A hand scratches the back of his head. “When I saw the documents in one of the folders. The laptop we're using is the one Ten Chittaphon retrieved in the HQ. I know you’ve seen it as well, but the loyalty to Red Phoenix prevented you from considering this option.”

“You look gloomy.”

Jaehyun smiles, albeit slightly. “I do?”

“Is it because we’re incomplete?”

“What do you me–“

A hand rises to stop Jaehyun from talking. “I’m talking about him.”

Upon realizing who Doyoung is talking about, a heavy feeling settles in Jaehyun’s stomach. It churns in his diaphragm before rising to his chest, residing there. “We don’t need him, like I’ve said. Good night, Doyoung.”

Jaehyun heads back to his previous bedroom before the other could even say more. He admits he misses the possessions he left there – a novel, a sketchpad filled with random drawings, the few photos of his deceased mother and the clothes he didn’t get to pack back then.

Exhaustion is lifted off of his body as soon as his back hits the mattress. He’s right – the bed in Red Phoenix is softer. Remembering that he has to share the shower rooms again, Jaehyun lets out a sigh. It’s better than staying in the hideout hopelessly.

He had lied about having thought of the plan ahead of time. He only came up with it in desperation when he sensed that his father wasn’t going to give them a chance. He had seen the files, but was too focused on appeasing the clients’ demands to actually put together a concrete scheme.

Everything will be in Invictus’ favor if Garnet approves of the plan. They don’t even have to mention being the original Red Phoenix members. If the reason that Garnet refuses to respond to Red Phoenix is due to an unforeseen personal dispute, then it’s even better. They will hand over the shares easily after knowing the first-rate proposals from a second-rate group.

Red Phoenix is gone. Jaehyun doesn’t need to feel guilty with using a proposal that isn’t Invictus’.

Guilt. He needs to get it off his chest. He needs to disable it from the essence of his mind. It will only weaken him, keep him from reaching the top.

And no matter how hard he tries to block a certain someone from invading his thoughts, Jaehyun ends up thinking about Ten.

You… What are you doing right now? Are you still asleep? What will you do when you wake up to find we’re gone? That you’ve been abandoned for the second time?

Guilt. It twists and turns, making a whirlwind of contrasting emotions in his chest. Jaehyun convinces himself that Ten Chittaphon is only manipulating him. A lunatic like him doesn’t have the capability to feel wronged. Even if it’s done to him over and over, Ten will live without anyone around him. He survived being isolated. What’s different with Jaehyun leaving him out of his plans?

“Fuck. Please just go to sleep. Don’t think about him.” As though berating himself for even allowing Ten Chittaphon to cross his mind would help him forget, a pillow sits right on his face, helping him pretend that the images of red hair and blue eyes would vanish in a snap.

What Jung Jaehyun isn’t aware of is that he will stay – either to watch his victory or cause his demise.

***

A series of knocks wake them up from a restless sleep. Yuta jolts up and wrenches the door open in a second, eyes wide as he takes in Jaehyun’s amused expression.

“What?”

Jaehyun points at his hair. “It’s a bird’s nest. And why do you look panicky?”

The Japanese frowns, flattening his hair. “Do we only get five minutes tops here as well?”

It makes him snort, dismissing Yuta’s question. “Invictus doesn’t implement nonsense like that. But my father is very strict about punctuality as well. Meeting starts in fifteen. I guess that’s enough for you guys to wash up and–“ Jaehyun gestures on his face. “Remove all remnants of sleep. Alright? Fifteen minute’s a luxury.”

“Alright. Shower room?”

Jaehyun points to the end of the hall before knocking on the rest of the squad’s rooms. Johnny soon comes out with a change of clothes. The Silver-card throws a sheepish grin at Jaehyun, remembering the brief talk between them regarding the forbidden display of public intimacy. Red Phoenix might be open about it, but Invictus sees it as a distraction.

Taeyong and he will have to be a little secretive and creative with their relationship from now on.

He’s about to turn and go back to the meeting room when a mop of black hair owned by a nurse peeks out of Johnny’s room, catching Jaehyun’s dumbfounded gaze.

“Uh…”

Jaehyun shakes his head, groaning. “Please. I don’t want to ask. Don’t do this anymore. Fifteen minutes for you both!”

Well, it’s going to take a little more explanation for the both to keep their pants on.

On the way he meets Sicheng who had woken up even earlier than him, eating a sandwich with Doyoung in tow.

“Can we bring food in the office?”

“Yes. Come on, let’s wait in there.”

Scanning his old Identification Card, the door unlocks from the inside and Jaehyun leads the two. He curtly reminds the guard to allow the new Invictus members later, giving him the corresponding names before pointing his companions where to sit.

“Dad is very particular with seating arrangements. So if you find yourself here again in the future, you know your place, and dad knows where to look.”

The last chunk of sandwich disappears in Winwin’s mouth and he chews slowly, eyeing the lone swivel chair at the end of the table by the front. “This reminds me so much of the previous mission conferences back in Red Phoenix.” His eyes soon roam the room, approving of the topnotch technology and security.

The main conference room is relatively smaller than the one in Red Phoenix. It serves the same purpose – for emergency meetings and important talks with the board members. A large screen is embedded into the wall, currently turned off.

Doyoung crumples the sandwich wrapper and accurately tosses it in the bin at the corner. “Say,” he starts with a swipe of tongue over the smeared sauce on the corner of his mouth. “We need to explain to him the proposals we have, right? Laying out all we need, that includes weapons. Do we need to bring the whole squad to France?”

“I believe so.” The door opens, welcoming the rest of his friends. Taeyong obviously takes the seat next to Johnny who occupies the seat next to Doyoung, while Yuta quickly heads over to Winwin’s side. Jaehyun squints, a little distracted by something between the two that he can’t point out. “Who knows what might happen when he head to Garnet? I trust you better than the people in here, and that says a lot considering I’ve stayed far longer in Invictus. The people here,” Shrugging as a stern guard glares at his direction, Jaehyun continues. “They’re very unapproachable.”

The conversation cuts off just as Jung Heejun enters the room. He’s alone, unlike Lee Namgyu who brought his assistant everytime. “I see that you’re all present. Very well,” The man nods in approval, clearly pleased at the punctuality and seriousness of Jaehyun’s team. His sharp eyes, black and stronger compared to his son’s, scan each of them before the seat at the end of the table is occupied and Heejun scowls, intimidating in every sense of the word.

“I know Red Phoenix uses official categories to label the skills of their members. Here in Invictus we don’t care about that. Although every month we conduct an exhibition just like in your previous group. My son, Jaehyun,” A hint of a proud smile appears on the Kingpin’s face, but it disappears just as quickly, “Had been in the A-list consistently. Invictus encounters close to none enemies, due to us being low-key in the business world, but we don’t slack off when it comes to training our men and seeing to it that they’re worthy of their spot in the organization. Tell me what you do; I believe you’re as impressive as all the others in Red Phoenix.”

“Kim Doyoung, intelligence. Gold card.”

“Johnny Seo, I handle explosives, sir. Silver.”

“Dong Sicheng. Arsonist, Gold.”

“Nakamoto Yuta, gunman. Silver.”

“Uh, just call me Taeyong. I’m a nurse but I was trained for shooting as well. Diamond.”

The Kingpin’s brows rise at that, clearly impressed. “Diamonds are considered elites in Red Phoenix, right? How many are you?”

“There were four, sir. The two are gunmen, and I believe they were not very fortunate to escape Dragonaire that day. The last one is a doctor. He’s an on-call doctor, so he’s not in the HQ all the time.”

“So he’s alive?”

Taeyong shrugs, unsure. “Hopefully. He was at the HQ that day the Dragonaire seized us, but we didn’t see him in the warehouse we were taken to.”

“That’s sounds as good as dead.” Jung Heejun nods at his son and Jaehyun heads to the front, standing next to the boss.

All eyes are on him, except for his father who chooses to burn holes on the table and offer his ears instead.

“So we have two proposals from Red Phoenix. The first one is the drug distribution. While this is already existing but temporarily halted due to Garnet’s unresponsiveness, it plans to widen the client population from just being local to international. And we’re not just talking about one country.” Jaehyun presses something on the screen and zooms into a section of the proposal page, circling a line. “It aims to distribute all over Asia. Though the percentage of our share will not change, it will increase the money that will be raked in since we’re going to cater to several more countries. China only will have us swimming in wealth. Imagine entering the Japanese market too.”

Yuta’s hand shoots up for a question. “That’s going to be a whole lot of work. I mean, Red Phoenix has the capability being a first-rate. And this proposal fits them. No offense meant, but will Invictus be able to handle this?”

Jaehyun nods. “If we put our mind to it, then it will not be a problem. We just need to find the perfect consumers. Next,”

A different file opens and Jaehyun knocks on the screen with a finger as he faces the team. “This one is completely new. It’s the expansion business. Red Phoenix plans to enter the European prostitution market through this deal that will require both Red Phoenix and Garnet’s leadership. It says in the file that the target women to be distributed all over Europe are Asians, and Garnet will be the one to find interested clients. This shouldn’t be impossible. We all know that organized crimes are protected by the government. These large scale businesses will not be possible without the aid of authorities. A single intimidation shouldn’t be too hard for Garnet. They already have a reputation in France.”

A gruff huff comes from Jung Heejun, alerting Jaehyun. “You make it sound too easy. You need to remember that these proposals were made by Red Phoenix, not us. How certain are you that Garnet will partner up with another Korean group just like that?”

“Then we will have to tell them the truth that Red Phoenix had been wiped out. We’re only keeping it from going public, at least within the Mafia groups to protect its reputation. But keeping a ghost’s reputation will not do us any good. As long as Garnet is with us, and we give them what they ask for, we don’t have to worry.”

Jaehyun releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding. As his father rises from his seat, Jaehyun sends a surreptitious glance at the squad before turning off the screen.

“Make sure to discuss this further with Kim Doyoung, since analyzing is a part of his job. I’ll have someone arrange a plane for all of you, and new guns and explosives shall be there when you fly over to France. I’ll call you when I have the schedule for your flight.”

The double doors close with a soft click as Jung Heejun exists the conference room. The remaining men inside simultaneously feels the wash of relief over them before Jaehyun gets slapped rather roughly on the back. His eyes follow the line of offending arm, ending with Johnny’s grinning face right across his.

“Hey, hey, it wasn’t too hard! Plus it was a slap of congratulations!”

Jaehyun rubs the assaulted part of his back before turning to Doyoung. “Does Red Phoenix have a hideout in France?”

The Gold-card information expert confirms with a nod, pushing the glasses on the bridge of his nose. “There is one particularly around the city where Garnet’s headquarters is.”

The plan is looking too great for Jaehyun at the moment. All they need is to seal the deal with Garnet and everything that Jaehyun dreams of will be in his hands in a blink of an eye. He didn’t expect things to turn out this way. He initially thought that after the downfall of Red Phoenix, he will be back to scratch proving his father that he’s needed in the organization. The shooter didn’t expect that it will still be Invictus remaining by his side as he claims victory that surprisingly comes a little too quick for him.

He doesn’t realize that a small smirk had already planted itself on his face, allowing the squad to see through his thoughts. Yuta snaps a finger, calling his attention and Jaehyun breaks out of his reverie, embarrassed as he clears his throat in hopes of masking the shadow of greed lacing his mind ever since.

“Uh, I haven’t eaten yet. Do you want to go with me?”

***

“That was so cool…”

Johnny dazedly comments, entering the cafeteria. It’s not as big as Red Phoenix’s, but the sight of mouth-watering food already defeats the previous organization’s menu.

The man’s face shamelessly presses against the glass partition, gawking at the row of local and western food arranged in silver wares. The cook greets him – a middle aged man with a kind smile on his face.

“Good morning, what do you choose?”

“Jaehyun,” Johnny calls, signaling the other to come. “I thought you said Invictus members are unfriendly?”

“I was talking about the men not working in the cafeteria, Johnny.” Chuckling at the other’s silly question, Jaehyun heads to a table and joins Doyoung and Winwin who are already done with their breakfast. Yuta settles next to him with a tray of Flemish Carbonnade and coffee, followed by the couple who chose to share a plate of Cassoulet.

So much for agreeing not to be too close in public.

Jaehyun eyes the food choices, quickly glancing at the cook before tilting his head as he frowns at Yuta’s meal. “We never had that before.”

“What?” Yuta answers, mouth already full of beef.

“We never had that in here before. We usually just have the Korean food. And that’s actually too special for a breakfast.”

Doyoung chimes in. “Nothing is too grand for breakfast.”

Contented with the remark, Jaehyun slips a hand in his pocket, straightening. He feels a thin, hard rectangular object and pulls it out, surprised to see his Gold card. He thought he had lost it during the fight with Dragonaire. As he looks down, he realizes that it’s the same pants he had worn that day.

A bitter memory flashes in his mind before it’s interrupted with a woman’s voice.

“Here’s your coffee.”

A lady that looks like a few years past 50 leaves two cups of coffee for Johnny and Taeyong. She walks away too soon for Jaehyun to look closely, wanting to check for himself if he really did see a pair of striking blue eyes. When he turns back to his friends, they’re wearing a look on their faces as though they had seen a ghost, their skins pale with utter disbelief.

“What… what’s going on?”

Taeyong stops anyone of them from answering with a hand in midair, gulping the hot liquid before regarding Jaehyun with incredulity.

“I can’t be mistaken, Jaehyun. It’s been more than two weeks since we escaped but that lady’s the one we saw back in the warehouse. She was held hostage too.”

At what he heard, Jaehyun ushers Taeyong to lower the tone of his voice. “What? What do you mean? What were they doing to her?”

The color on Winwin’s face drains and he glares, fists clenched on the table. “We heard noises from where she was kept. She was being raped.”

Raped.

“How did she escape? How did she find Invictus?” Johnny spouts in confusion, the taste of Cassoulet suddenly bland in his mouth.

The Invictus heir momentarily glances at the woman coming out of the kitchen to talk to the cook with a warm smile, her blue eyes crinkling at the corner as her caramel hair falls gentle over her shoulders.

“Your mother’s serving a good purpose to us, if you’re wondering.”

All of a sudden, like a freight train hitting him in full speed, Jaehyun feels his body get knocked by an invisible force, ripping the oxygen from his lungs. She disappears back into the kitchen with the same warm smile, a smile that looks painfully similar to the rare ones that Ten Chittaphon showed him.

A little breathless, Jaehyun loosens the collar of his shirt. “She did not recognize you?”

Taeyong shakes his head. “I don’t think so. The only time we had a good look on her, she was unconscious on the floor. Why…” The nurse is filled with worry as his hand leaves Johnny’s and reaches for Jaehyun’s instead, tugging. “What’s wrong?”

He swallows the lump in his throat. Jaehyun wants to laugh and cry at the same time. Is the universe mocking him? Are the stars aligning to play with his fate? Such coincidence is too good to be true that he almost breaks down right there and then. He should’ve gotten an idea from the sudden appearance of French food on the bolted table. He should’ve felt the electricity when he looked at those bright blue eyes. He should’ve realized when the sight of caramel tresses left a dull heat in his chest.

He feels a nudge on his side. Yuta looks worried.

Clearing his head, Jaehyun gathers himself before schooling his features, dark and stern.

“There’s a reason why Dragonaire had her.”

“And it is…?”

Coal black eyes harden. “It’s Ten Chittaphon’s mother.”

Jaehyun bolts out of his seat and walks out of the cafeteria. They follow him quickly, ignoring the curious looks of Invictus men having their breakfast.

“Jaehyun, slow down!” Johnny catches up to him and turns him around with a grip on his shoulder. “We didn’t know it was her. When Dragonaire took us, we were only told that Lee Namgyu was taken as well. Then we were locked in a room all together.”

“I’m not mad, okay. You don’t have to explain. I was just…” The sharpshooter paces, restless. “I was just surprised. Hell, beyond that. What kind of coincidence is this? How did she end up here?”

“You should probably ask that to your father.” Doyoung suggests. He looks composed, like he always does, but his eyes were shaky. “If she’s not behaving the way she’s supposed to if she knew we were Red Phoenix members, perhaps she doesn’t even know that Invictus was a subordinate of Red Phoenix. At the supposed time she arrived here, Red Phoenix cannot be contacted by anyone anymore.” A group of men passes by the squad, discussing something. Doyoung pauses until they’re out of earshot before looking at Jaehyun again. “Should we inform her about Ten Chittaphon’s whereabouts?”

“No.” Jaehyun snaps, glaring at the entryway of the cafeteria. “Not yet, at least. If we tell her now then it will require us to meet the freak again. We left him alone for a reason and we can’t let his mother, who bears no significance for our plans to delay our meeting with Garnet.”

It’s heartless, he knows. He knows the woman is probably looking for her son, the only family member she has left. But there are more pressing matters at hand that they should deal with first and foremost, and certainly not the reunion of two people he couldn’t care less about.

“Listen guys,” Jaehyun motions for them to huddle close. “Don’t mention anything to her about knowing Ten Chittaphon. Not Red Phoenix. Let’s deal with that after we close the deal with Garnet. We can’t afford to postpone this.”

As they agree to his order, Jaehyun excuses himself and heads straight to his father’s office, entering without notice. Fortunately the old man is not in the middle of a meeting or else Jaehyun will have to relive the wrath he faced when he was younger. It was not an experience he wants to recall.

“Father.”

The man looks up from reviewing a document and silently dismisses his guard.

“Is this important?”

Jaehyun doesn’t beat around the bush. “Where did you find that French woman working at the cafeteria?”

Jung Heejun’s brows rise and he leans back, relaxing in his chair. “We found her more than a week ago. She was aimlessly walking around the area and calling for help. Bruised and her blouse was torn, but she had a suit jacket on her.”

Ten wasn’t wearing his suit jacket when he found the apartment we were staying.

“So you pitied her? Took her in without anything in return?”

His father sends him a questioning look. “Léonie begged us to help her, so we did. In exchange of making her translate some mails unsuspicious enough for her to remain oblivious. We have smalltime individual French customers here in Korea, Jaehyun. Also, it’s free. The woman insisted we didn’t have to pay her.”

“That’s so cheap of you, dad. But does she know what Invictus does?”

“I don’t think so. She never asked. She probably thinks this is just an unknown company.” The old man squints, staring at his son. “Why are so curious about this woman?” 

Jaehyun takes a step back, avoiding his father’s penetrating gaze. “Nothing. I was just surprised that someone is contributing something good in the kitchen.”

Jung Heejun scoffs. “How ungrateful. You loved whatever’s on the menu. Now please leave, I’m quite busy as you can see.”

The smile on his face instantly disappears as soon as the doors close behind him. Jaehyun returns to the comfort of his room and plops on bed with an arm over his eyes, allowing the darkness to envelope him for a moment.

Ten Chittaphon and his mother had obviously already met. From the stories told by the redhead, it sounded like he doesn’t care about his mother at all, so Jaehyun feels like he doesn’t need to worry about the man searching for her. Would Ten’s mind even allow him to assume that the woman is kept in Invictus? That’s a far reach.

As long as no one mentions his name, then everything shall be fine. Assuming that Léonie doesn’t have an idea as to what Red Phoenix is, then Jaehyun shall not worry about crossing paths with Ten Chittaphon anytime soon.

He can’t afford it. Ten Chittaphon will not let him live once they stand in front of each other, and he knows it. Jung Jaehyun knows the crazy man will not back down just like that.

Wondering how the other might have reacted at the sight of an empty house, Jaehyun’s chest constricts, as dread settles in him like a child finding its home gone after a long search, gluing itself on the walls of his heart.

Fear? Is it what he feels? Should he feel scared of what Ten Chittaphon might do once they meet again? This is not the first time Jaehyun left him alone. If the world allows them to meet again, would Ten react the same way he did when he arrived at the apartment carrying Kim Taejun’s head? Would a simple kiss erase the betrayal Jung Jaehyun did?

Betrayal.

Jaehyun scoffs. He didn’t betray Ten Chittaphon. He didn’t promise the redhead anything. They were never friends to begin with. Betrayal is felt by someone who cherishes a special person. No one is special to any one between the two of them.

Let him wander without a clue. He deserves that at least for giving me a hard time harboring him and for ruining Red Phoenix.

***

They get called for a meeting close to midnight. Jaehyun gathers the whole team and leads them in the conference room where his father already is. They settle on their claimed seats before Jaehyun takes his spot next to the Kingpin.

“Your flight is the day after tomorrow. That’s the closest schedule available for our pilot. The French authorities at the airport have been alerted with your arrival so you don’t need to worry about legalities. They were informed that you’re visiting the country for business engagements with Garnet. They didn’t question anymore because apparently, Garnet is organizing a secret gala. I’ll leave it up to your team how you’re going to arrange an appointment with them.”

Jaehyun nods sagely. “And the weapons?”

“They will be loaded in the plane.”

Johnny politely interjects. “The hideout there is equipped, Jaehyun. Don’t worry about the supply.”

“Alright. But what kind of gala is that? Do we need to arrive in a dress code?”

The team looks at Doyoung who hides a roll of his eyes by fixing his glasses. “Garnet holds an annual gala to discuss about their latest achievements. It is also a way for them to gather new clients. It will be held within the week, so we can use that opportunity to talk to their boss. Attendance is by invitation so let’s send a request right away. It’s not easy to get in those galas hosted by Garnet. And yes, there’s a dress code to avoid raising suspicions. Suits for men and dresses for women fit for a masquerade ball.”

The Kingpin taps a hand on the table, contented. “There you have it. Hand in your sizes, the suits will be delivered tomorrow as well as the masks. And before I forget, even though you’re safe at the airport, you still need your passports for identity purposes, in case you disrespect France more than you already do. We’ll have it all expedited.”

“Thank you, dad.”

“Save it. I want you closing this deal in return. Don’t even think of coming back if you still have nothing on your head for me to be proud of you. You insisted to live this kind of life, Jaehyun. Show me why I let you.”

Fists clench behind him. “Yes, dad.”

The old man moves to leave, but Jaehyun stops him as a sudden thought reaches him.

“Can we bring Léonie with us?”

“For what reason?”

Jaehyun schools his features, preventing anyone in the room from seeing through his lie. “We need an interpreter. None of us speaks French. It might come in handy and I know it will.”

How he could easily lie and still look straight into his father’s eyes, Jaehyun considers it an innate talent. They won’t need Léonie that much. He just doesn’t want her to stay out of his sight knowing that Ten Chittaphon is still in the city and there’s still that tiny chance on them meeting each other.

“In any case, do as you wish.”

Taeyong shoots out of his seat the second Jung Heejun leaves. “Are you sure about bringing her? I’m sure that they can also communicate in English, Jaehyun.”

“I know that. We’re not bringing her to the gala anyway. I’m just taking extra measures for her not to see her son anytime soon. Especially when she’s out of our watch.”

“What harm would it do if she reunites with Ten anyway?” Winwin inquires, sounding like Jaehyun’s being unreasonable.

He can never be unreasonable. “Then Ten Chittaphon will find us, Winwin. As a matter of fact, that situation is very alarming, defeating the purpose of us breaking free from the murderer’s insufferable nature.”

“Jaehyun’s right,” Yuta agrees. “Let’s not act like we ever liked him.”

The Japanese whips his head to the side as Doyoung snorts loudly. “What?”

“You’re the most hostile here towards Ten Chittaphon; don’t think we forgot that.”

Indignance contorts in Yuta’s face. “You still think that way? How preposterous.”

“Why?” The Gold-card hacker presses. “Is there a reason why we shouldn’t think that way?”

The swivel chair skids across the floor and hits the wall as the Chinese arsonist abruptly stands, muttering something about needing to pee before hurriedly leaving the room.

Jaehyun blinks a few times. “Uh, well…seems like Winwin needs to piss that badly. Go ahead, guys. We don’t need to wake up early tomorrow. So have a good sleep?” Uncertain if it’s being too sweet of him, Jaehyun scratches his head and quickly leaves the rest behind. They already know the turns in the HQ anyway.

0o0o0

Ten pulls over to the side of the road, quickly turning off the engine. He hops out of the stolen car and calmly walks down the snowy path leading to the cabin, trudging through the frozen cold biting through his shoes. With a swift kick the door creaks open and his hand finds the switch on the wall, eyes squinting a bit as the harsh light blares atop his head.

Everything is in place just like when they left. It’s surprising how no one thinks of breaking through, but even if someone does, Ten doesn’t think he’ll ever give a damn. Nothing in this cabin holds a sentimental value, except for the vinyl disc still on the record player. He approaches it with quick steps, turning it on before placing the stylus on the periphery. Michael Jackson’s timeless voice fills the cabin as he aimlessly rounds the minimal space. When he gets bored of postponing his purpose, Ten enters the bedroom and rummages through the closet. He finds what he’s looking for under a small pile of folded clothes, slipping the credit card and passport in his black leather jacket’s pocket.

The fridge in the kitchen is still stocked, considering they didn’t eat much aside from easy-to-make food like pancakes, noodles and cereal when they stayed there. Pushing past fruits and vegetables, his hand finds purchase on the bag of candies and takes out a few lollipops, particularly the grape and strawberry flavors. One of them soon gets pushed into his mouth and his slick tongue swirls around the flavorful candy, licking at the sweetness.

The door to the basement is lifted with an eerie creak and the knife thrower descends with a graceful hop on the stairs, skipping a few steps. Ten runs a calloused hand through the soft, crimson strands of his hair as he scans the knives still strapped on the wall. Unfortunately he can’t bring them to wherever he’s heading, so he forcefully stops the twitching of his hands and slides them in his pockets, pressing down on his thighs.

The song continues in the background as he roams the small room. Its tune is distant from above, allowing Ten to have a little bit more of the quietness he had unknowingly missed. Ever since the arrival of Jung Jaehyun, it was taken away from him. The younger didn’t know when to avoid getting his nose into people’s private lives.

If only he turned around and didn’t continue his way into the gym that day…

“But life’s a bitch, especially when you don’t know your place.”

Ten takes a knife out of the strap attached on the wall and points it towards the light coming from upstairs, watching it glint. He then inspects its sharpness by slicing through the thin skin of his thumb, watching the blood ooze out and dribble down his wrist before licking up a stripe, following its trail.

“I’ve tasted a lot of blood in seven years I was in Red Phoenix. But it’s your blood I want to lick off of my knife the most, Jaehyun. I wonder how it feels like coating even my hands.”

The knife finds its place back in the strap before Ten climbs up, fixing the floorboard and knocking off the record player as he passes by. It falls on the floor with a loud thud, the music coming to a sudden halt as the disc breaks in half just as the front door closes.

Ten foregoes fastening the seatbelt before he carelessly turns the wheels and speeds back, his eyes unmoving as he concentrates on the road.

“Why do you keep running away from me, Jaehyun? I will only keep following you if you keep doing that, you fucking bastard.”

“Are you playing hard to get?” The redhead pounds his palm on the center of the steering wheel, honking at the stray animal trying to cross the road. “Fine. Keep doing that. I’ll just be your fucking shadow for the rest of your life.”

The thought tickles his dark humor, filling the car with the boisterous laughter of a disturbed man, fueled with obsession to ruin and to claim.

***

Jaehyun runs and runs, keeps running until he forgets what he’s running away from. The tunnel is too dark and too long, it feels like he’s been running for hours but no matter how fast he forces his legs to go, he just keeps running, like the tunnel is in circles and there’s no way out. He doesn’t even know how he managed to get in there.

His lungs are burning and his legs are tired, his arms feel like they’re about to fall off his body. With a pounding heart he falls to the ground, hands planted on the wet concrete.

The sound of water pattering from the roof of the tunnel echoes into the darkness, bouncing against the walls to fill Jaehyun’s ears before reaching every nook and corner of his mind. They repeat like a broken record in his head, picking up a messy beat and it’s the only thing that accompanies him as he remains on fours, catching his breath.

Suddenly, a dull light forms at the far end from where’s at. Jaehyun blinks through the blinding light as it grows bigger, nearer until he has no choice but to sit on his bottom and block the view with a hand. The light disappears soon, and Jaehyun realizes that there’s another noise aside from the dripping of water. It’s a car’s engine that quickly dies as soon as he puts his hand down.

It’s so dark that he relies on the sound of the car door opening and closing to know that there’s someone coming out of the vehicle. Jaehyun pushes himself up, wiping off the slimy liquid from the ground on his pants.

Wait. Wasn’t it snowing? Right. It doesn’t reach this part of the tunnel.

“Who’s there? Can you please help me out? I’ve been…” Jaehyun looks around, trying to see where the person went. He heard footsteps coming closer. “I’ve been trying to get out of here.”

There’s an unnatural silence that follows. The sound of dripping water stops. Jaehyun doesn’t even realize it did. A cold gust of wind fills the tunnel but its breeze leaves no sound in its wake, cloaking Jaehyun until his teeth chatters. The chill bites through his flesh and curls around his bones, replacing his blood.

He feels like a living dead.

“Please?” The person repeats, mocking. “I’ve always liked the way that word sounds coming from you. Like music to my ears - like I’ve told you.”

Jaehyun freezes even more on his spot if it’s possible. Before he could pinpoint the familiarity of those words, he feels a hot breath hit his face.

His eyes widen as they adjust through the dark just when a face comes into view right in front of him, and Jaehyun’s mouth opens to let out a silent scream.

It’s Ten Chittaphon – but at the same time, it doesn’t look like him. Jaehyun doesn’t know how he can see the redness of the man’s hair in the dark; it’s long again, ending on the middle of his chest.

But what rips Jaehyun’s soul out of his body is the lack of eyes in the open sockets and blood dripping out of the holes, trickling down Ten’s chin. It drops on the ground, mimicking the sound of the water pitter-pattering. The bottom of his mouth is torn, showing the slabs of flesh hanging off.

“Jaehyun.”

“No– no! Get away from me!”

So he runs again, taking the opposite side of the tunnel. He runs and runs, chanting a mantra in his head and praying for any kind of gods not to let him see the corpse of Ten Chittaphon. Now, he’s never a religious person, never believing in omnipotent entities but right now he’s willing to build a shrine for the god that will spare his life and get him out of the never-ending circles he’s running.

As he forces his legs to move faster, Jaehyun feels the hope grow in his chest when a gentle light forms from a distance. It’s different from the one earlier; this is finally leading him to the exit!

Run, keep running.

Almost there.

I’m almost there–

Jaehyun halts and wheezes as he’s glued on his spot all of a sudden, like a machine suddenly terminated. There are only a few more steps but he can’t move. Feeling a sudden excruciating pain on his abdomen, Jaehyun looks down, only to see the tip of a blade poke out of his clothes before it’s ruthlessly pulled out of him from behind.

The sound of his kneecaps dislocating reaches his ears as he falls on his knees, all of his weight pummeling down. When the side of his head hits the cold, hard ground, Jaehyun looks at the man crouching right by his side – Ten looks normal again, with his eyes and thin mouth stretched into a warm smile. The scars have faded and his hair color changed back to caramel. Jaehyun’s fingers itch to touch the silky tresses.

“Why do you keep running away from me, Jaehyun? Am I scary? Are you scared of me?” Ten coyly asks with a hand raking through Jaehyun’s hair. “Why do you fear me, Jaehyun?”

“I don’t…” Jaehyun speaks through the blood bubbling in his mouth. “I’m not scared of you…”

The gentleness disappears from Ten’s face and is replaced by a frown. “Liar. All of you are fucking liars. You’re worse than my father, Jaehyun. He only abandoned me once, but you’ve already done it twice. Why are you so cruel?” His head gets harshly yanked, neck bent in an odd angle. “I’m not going to let you win, Jaehyun. You’re going to keep waking up every day fearing my eyes watching you from a place and you will not see where I am, but always feel that I’m with you. Alright? Are we clear?”

Ten stands and before Jaehyun could say more, a rough boot stomps on his head repeatedly, crashing his skull.

A sharp gasp cuts through the silence of his room as Jaehyun wakes up with cold beads of sweat running down his face. He wipes it off and anxiously turns the light on. Wide, frantic eyes search the small room before the sharpshooter lets out a scream of frustration, clutching his hair in his hands.

“Ten Chittaphon…”

The name leaves a bitter taste in his mouth and Jaehyun spits on the floor, trying to erase the flavor. It’s unbelievable how the redhead has this much effect on him despite the short span of time spent around the crazy knife thrower.

As his breathing calms down, Jaehyun replays the scenes in his dream and feels his heart throb painfully. It feels so real. And as much as he wants to deny it, Jaehyun is scared for the first time in his life.

Is this what Ten Chittaphon wants? To ruin him from the inside-out?

Jaehyun huffs. Ten Chittaphon is alone with no one to lead him where Jaehyun is. Jaehyun is heading to the top, while the redhead will remain where he is: at the bottom of the triangle.

He can’t wait to leave Korea. He can’t wait to reach Garnet. Once he gets ahold of the power Red Phoenix left, it will be his victory and his victory alone.

Power hungry? He’s right. Ten Chittaphon is right. It’s the only way to survive. Jung Jaehyun will survive and he will never show compassion to the likes of the redhead. To be compassionate means to be human.

And Jaehyun will show Ten he isn’t one. Not anymore.

***

“The guns, explosives and other things you might need are already loaded in the jet. Make sure you’re not going to have to use all of those. I’m going to trust that you will be able to close this deal, Jaehyun.”

With a curt response as a promise, Jaehyun hangs up and slips the phone in his pocket. They make a quick exit out of the black van, carrying their luggage before crossing the apron to instantly board the jet.

Jaehyun lets one of the attendants whose name is Kim Jungwoo based on the plate attached to his uniform get his personal stuff to be kept in a compartment before he takes the plush seat on the right, with a small round table in front as a divider from another seat facing his. A decanter filled with wine is already on the table.

Once everything is set and they’re ready to take off, the pilot reminds them of the necessary precautions that everyone makes sure to follow. The take-off takes a few minutes too long for Jaehyun who hates flying, picking his ear with his pinky finger before relaxing as soon as they’re stable up in the air.

“How long is the flight going to be?”

“Approximately 11 hours without a stop.” Jaehyun answers Doyoung without looking at the other, choosing to browse an available glamor magazine perched on the table in a wooden rack. “Have you confirmed our attendance in the gala?”

Doyoung’s fingers skim over the touchpad of the laptop. “I just sent a confirmation two hours ago. They sent back the logo – it’s their signature to let successful invites know they’re in.”

Jaehyun hums in satisfaction with the answer. “They did not say anything about our name?”

“No, nothing. I believe Invictus remains unknown in Europe and Red Phoenix is still the only one Garnet acknowledges. They don’t discriminate against new organizations who want to participate in the annual party, I guess.”

“That’s a good sign, right?” Jaehyun looks at everyone, noting the poorly veiled looks of excitement on their faces except for Doyoung who looks rather bored. “Our proposal will be even more impressive.” He returns to scanning the contents of the magazine in hand, his lips pursed while his mind absently goes over the little paragraphs at the corner of the pages. “Is this everyone’s first time to join the gala? Who did Lee Namgyu take with him when Red Phoenix attended?”

“The elites. Remember that I mentioned to you about them?” Johnny reminds him, sounding giddy. “Those are some of the investors in Red Phoenix. Of course, only the important people will be presented to their equal.” A pregnant pause fills the jet before a soft melody emits from the speaker and the same attendant from earlier happily tells them to enjoy the flight. “I wonder what Garnet thinks since Red Phoenix will not be attending this year.”

Taeyong politely asks the attendant for a snack, not feeling the wine at the moment. “They must be confused. But since we’re assuming they’ve been having a personal dispute, maybe between the bosses for Garnet to ignore us, I don’t think it’ll bother them much if they don’t see their longtime partner. They’re not the clingy type, are they?”

They collectively ignore Winwin’s question in the background when the Chinese asks if there are newly installed games in the tablet prepared beforehand for each of them. Yuta is already on the way to have another power nap while Doyoung swiftly puts the laptop away, set not to keep working on the only time he’s possibly allowed to slack off.

Jaehyun gets the memo. He’s the designated leader for this assignment, being the one to suggest the use of Red Phoenix’s proposals to be able to connect to Garnet. Moreover, they have Invictus behind them, the organization that he will inherit in the near future.

He takes a quick glance at the partition behind. Behind that divider is someone who didn’t need to hear the conversation they just had. He doesn’t have a choice but to bring Léonie with them. Who knows, she might serve a purpose later on.

Back at the Gimpo airport, an announcement is made, calling for the passengers of the flight to France to get ready with their boarding passes and passports.

A short while later, he hands in the boarding pass, ignoring the strange look given to him at the sight of his lack of bags. It’s not new to see people being too carefree as they head overseas with little to no necessities with them, but Ten Chittaphon has nothing but a single sling bag with a laptop inside. He starts to feel a little peeved, triggered by the unwanted attention before he finally makes way inside, spotting his seat which is fortunately right by the window. He certainly doesn’t want to spend the next 13 hours looking at the bald head of the man sitting in front of him.

It reminds him of the Dragonaire slave whose throat he pierced singlehandedly.

Ten’s feet hike on the edge of the seat, planning to stay in that position for the rest of the flight – but he gets reprimanded by a stewardess, sending him a glare through her heavily caked eyes. “Sir, please sit appropriately. You might get in trouble later or worse, hurt.”

Clicking his tongue, Ten follows obediently. He can keep the urge down for a few hours. He’ll just have to ignore all of the factors that he knows will trigger him inside this plane: snoring, loud chats, crying babies. It’ll be troublesome if he can’t keep his hands to himself, especially once the bread knives are given to the hungry passengers to cut through their meals.

He’d gladly collect them all. It sucks that he can’t bring those knives at the cabin. Those are special to him, having used them before and were already bathed in the old enemies’ blood.

Well, it’s not a big deal. He can just get new ones and find the new enemies running away from him.

The idea makes him laugh, startling the poor old couple sitting next to him. He doesn’t apologize for the noise, nor send them a sorry glance. Ten never excuses himself.

“Ah, France, nous nous reverrons.”

Oh how much he missed speaking in his mother tongue. When Lee Namgyu brought them to Korea, he was forced to learn the language. It was easy to learn, since even without his father, Léonie was fluent in the foreign language already, choosing to converse in Korean with her children.

Ten looks at the vast sky outside and the clouds swimming underneath the plane. He was too immersed with his own thoughts that he didn’t even notice the hassle take-off.

13 hours. 13 hours before he takes a step into Garnet for the first time and diabolically ruin Jung Jaehyun’s intentions.

0o0o0

It’s raining when they land in Paris. The Invictus members as well as Léonie, having been recognized by the security of Charles de Gaulle, easily pass through inspections.

A van is already waiting for them at the entrance when they come out of the busy airport. Jaehyun tells the French driver the address of the place owned by Red Phoenix, his tongue twisting with a little struggle.

“Should I help, sir?”

Léonie offers from the backseat with her calm tone. She looks like a scared deer when Jaehyun turns to her with a slight glare, silently telling her that she’s unneeded. She’s quick to understand the warning and remains quiet throughout the ride.

The ride from the airport to Gambetta takes them a little over half an hour due to the rain slowing the flow of traffic.

They pass by a busy street filled with cafés and some boutiques before the vehicle drives straight to a neighborhood.

Doyoung’s head lowers a bit as he peers out the window, quickly tapping Jaehyun’s shoulder. “We’re here.” The van stops in front of a house that looks like the rest but obviously built for a different purpose other than a typical French house due to the lot it occupies. “Let’s go.”

Once done unloading their necessities, Jaehyun kindly dismisses the driver that Invictus assigned for them for the rest of their stay in Paris. Doyoung leads the way to the house, swiping his Gold card on the scanner and not wasting a second to get inside as the doors unlocked automatically from the inside.

Exterior-wise, the hideout looks just like the rest of the houses in the neighborhood: strong, stone walls of terracotta, slated roofs, vertical windows. Nothing is out of the ordinary when seen through an unsuspecting person from outside.

The inside is where it differs from the rest. Instead of a living room, rows of computers line up. Each situated in cubicles, the computers are currently turned off. It also looks like the house hasn’t been taken care of for a while, most likely due to the lack of reminder from Red Phoenix.

Winwin quickly raids the kitchen, checking the fridge. “Well, at least it doesn’t look like we’re eating expired food. Someone is just too lazy to mop the dusts off the floor.”

“The number of rooms here is the same in our previous house. So you can choose your own room. I’ll take the one closest to the bathroom.” Doyoung picks up his bag and makes a quick turn to the hallway, biting back a smirk as whines and complaints echoed behind him.

Ignoring the petulance of the others, Jaehyun swipes a finger over the monitor of one computer and winces at the sight of dirt on the pad of his index. “Let’s just use the laptop we have. At least we know we’re not getting infected from that. Doyoung finished a whole bottle of cleaner wiping over the keyboards once every other hour.”

Yuta excitedly drags his bag and claims a room, leaving Jaehyun, Winwin and the two men joint by the hip to check on the bags filled with the weapons issued by Invictus. Léonie timidly sits down on one of the couches with her own bag on her lap.

Jaehyun opens one and rummages through the guns, irritation etched all over his face. Everything is carelessly thrown inside together with the few grenades that thankfully didn’t lose a pin, and boxes of bullets have been opened, spilling the contents.

“When they said they loaded the weapons in the plane I thought they separated these in a few bags, at least. What if one grenade went off while we were up there? Idiots. Winwin, don’t you need your stuff? Dad didn’t include any–“

“Don’t worry,” The other reassures with his mouth already stuffed with something questionable he had taken from the fridge. “The house is stocked, you know.”

“Good. Do you guys want to try the suits on? As well as the masks?” Grinning, Jaehyun opens his luggage and takes out the folded suit. It’s velvet blue with a few dark splotches to add an intimidating and expensive vibe on the outfit.

While they check their outfits for the gala, the only woman in the team clears her throat and puts up a tight smile. “Sir, what are the weapons for?”

Jaehyun turns to her, having forgotten her presence momentarily. “Nothing you need to know. Why, does it bother you?” Thinking that the guns poking out of the bag might remind her about what she experienced in the hands of Dragonaire, he quickly tells Johnny to bring it to one of the rooms.

Léonie shakes her head. Her blue eyes look down, displaying submission. “No, I’m sorry for asking. But,” She suddenly perks up with a twinkle in her eyes as she scurries to the kitchen, putting her bag on the counter. “Are you all hungry? I can cook something quick.”

They share a look before Jaehyun shrugs, taking off the suit jacket and tossing it back in the luggage. “That’s one of the reasons why we took you with us – can’t stay in France without tasting some good French cuisine thoughtfully cooked by a French lady.”

He doesn’t wait for her to react to that as he walks down the hallway and chooses a room, softly closing the door behind him.

She possibly already has an idea about the type of job they have, but as long as she doesn’t say anything about it, and she doesn’t know the people she’s currently with, then Jaehyun doesn’t have to worry about the woman asking for her son’s whereabouts.

I’m sure she knows he doesn’t care about her, too. A son like that? What a curse.

***

Ten breezes past the crowded airport, eager to get out of the hustle. He quickly hails a cab and gets in, blank eyes regarding the driver with a chilly stare. “Nearest shopping center.”

“Uh,” The driver stutters, uncertain of the foreign language. The cab drives out of the airport anyway.

Realization dawns on the redhead and he scoffs, repeating what he said. “Conduire au centre commercial le plus proche.”

December is one of the coldest months in Paris with its icy rain, the temperature dropping to a freezing 3 degrees. Ten rolls up the window and pulls out a pack of cigarettes from the laptop bag, lighting it up quick. A puff of cloud emits from the corner of his mouth, huffed out and gradually fills the entire car. Ignoring the scowl thrown at him by the driver through the rearview mirror, the knife thrower brazenly inhales another lungful of the cancer stick, shaping his mouth into a small ‘o’ and puffing out the cancerous smoke, grinning creepily at the sight of shapely clouds dissipating in the clogged air inside.

When they stop in front of the shopping center, he wordlessly leans forward and swipes his card to the machine by himself, taking the driver off-guard. The man doesn’t get a chance to react properly for the passenger is soon out of the cab, disappearing inside the mall.

With a well thought out to-do list in his head, Ten walks straight into a clothing store, swiftly brushing past customers as he randomly picks up a few shirts and a single trench coat. The sales clerks openly watch him with ridicule, silently chortling to themselves. One of them, failing to keep professionalism casually blocks his way with a sickeningly sweet but fake smile on her face. Thinking he doesn’t speak French, she greets him in English. “Sir, these are designer clothes. You might consider your budget?”

Ten stares at her with his perpetually blank stare, blue eyes sparkling under the huge chandelier hanging from the roof. His big irises capture all the light in the room and in close inspection the lady in front of him swoons a little, her initial arrogance washing off of her.

“Sir?”

He doesn’t speak, continuing to stare at her. The redhead suddenly dumps all of the clothes he took in her arms, ignoring as she gasps, completely taken aback. Ten then heads over to another rack of clothes, this time checking the bolder ones. He spots a studded leather jacket with a single sling hanging off of it and a chain with both ends attached on either side of the collar, giving an illusion of a necklace. Ten takes it and dumps the piece in her arm, soon followed by black leather pants.

He turns to the side and stares at the mannequin in front of him. Ten nonchalantly raises a hand, signaling someone else to take the suit off of the plastic model.

“Follow me.” His deep voice leaves no room for hesitation as he walks off to the counter with her in tow. Ten takes the items from her and dumps them for the cashier to scan the price tags.

They all look at him, watching the epitome of strangeness. The stares stay on the sides of his face, shameless and burning and sometimes lewd. He feels the telltale signs of the dark urge to wrap his hands around a slender throat to cut off the oxygen supply and possibly break the esophagus, and Ten grips the sling of his bag, helping himself calm down. He’s running out of cigarettes and he forgot to bring the candies with him; there’s nothing to calm him down at the moment.

With shaky eyes he distracts himself by watching the cashier carefully fold his clothes and put them in several paper bags. He doesn’t hear her ask for the payment.

“Sir?”

She calls in English, still not realizing his capability to speak the local language. Ten’s soulless eyes, deep but intriguing like a long-chaptered novel goes over to the owner of the voice before he slams the card down.

The uncomfortable lady hands over the bags to him and Ten retrieves the card, slipping it in his jeans’ pocket.

“Listen,” Ten manages to grab their attention. “If you’re going to continue giving me those looks, might as well know that it has consequences.” His eyes travel down, stopping between the sales clerk’s legs. She reddens and glares at him accusingly.

Ten’s eyes shifts up, meeting hers. “Something else is shoving up there and it’s not me.”

Mortified, the woman calls him a pervert as he heads out of the store with the paper bags swung over his shoulder.

***

The room is clean, polished and scintillating for a three-star hotel. The paper bags are haphazardly dropped to the carpeted floor as Ten tears off his clothes, stripping and carelessly tossing the pieces of fabrics at the foot of the bed before getting in the bathroom.

Perfectly warm water eases down his body, relieving the knots on his muscles. His hair sticks to his forehead as he keeps his head pressed against the tiled wall. Ten closes his eyes, breathes in and holds it for a few seconds before heavily exhaling, glaring at the droplets of water hitting his feet.

It’s been a long while, like a series of eternity since his life in France. The only memories he has of the country are vague, having been kept inside the house for most of his childhood and forbidden to go out just so his mother could soothe the worries of their neighbors.

Ten was already a monster even before.

He didn’t see this day coming. He didn’t dream of coming back to a place he didn’t have much to miss on. Ten lives through each day without a care in the world, just trying to live the moment by however he wants, however it makes him.

He didn’t expect to come back here alone, without Lee Namgyu, without Olivia, without the mother that he’s yet to find. The promise he left her back in the warehouse before they parted ways rings at the back of his head.

Ten is suddenly conflicted. Should he look for her? Should he not? She must know he doesn’t care about her, that he only said that to get rid of her quickly.

“Dammit. That whore is going to hold me to that.”

Ten soaps up and shampoos his hair, letting the suds get washed off with the warm water and wraps a towel around his waist, not even bothering to wipe down his body.

Another flood of warmth hits him when he plops down the bed, moaning in relaxation. Azure eyes glue themselves on the ceiling as future plans formulate on their own in his mind, telling him of the course of actions he shall take tomorrow night.

Garnet is holding their annual gala in a luxury hotel in the center of the city. It will be disguised as a fundraising party for people who are none the wiser. It shall go smooth, considering that these organized gathering by crime families are supported by the powerful authorities.

And Ten is willing to gamble his life that Invictus will be there. Jung Jaehyun is hell-bent on talking to Garnet. They can’t pass off this opportunity.

“Well,” A thumb runs over his bottom lip, caressing. “I guess I just have to be faster than you.”

“How should I do it, Jaehyun?” The redhead blocks the blaring light with his hand, letting some of it pass between the gaps of his fingers. “Should I make you wait and anticipate it? Make you jump in excitement, exhilarate you before letting you down as I break the news? That you cannot take those credits? I’m not interested in Red Phoenix, Jaehyun. I don’t give a single fuck about all of those. But I just can’t let you have it your way after you betrayed me, you know? Did that Japanese manage to brainwash you? Did they finally make you think I’m the craziest fucker alive, just like how they tried to make you hate me back then, when you first arrived in Red Phoenix?”

Trembling hands reach for the discarded pants on the floor, and Ten takes out the last cigarette he has, lighting it up and poisoning his lungs again. “You fuckers are the same, huh?” He flicks the ash right on the mattress and rubs his eye with the heel of his hand. “Sons of bitches. How all of you got to fool me like this is beyond me. Partnering up with Dragonaire, and then eradicating Red Phoenix? Fucking geniuses.”

Ten sits up and hugs his legs with an arm, glaring at the wall. His body slowly rocks back and forth as his other hand clutches the side of his head, painfully tugging the strands of hair. “That’s why they were so fucking brave to come for Garnet, because one of you gave the proposals to them. That’s it, right? Did I figure it out? And then one of you had to rat me out when I was fucking hidden like a mole rat in that cabin? Fuck this shit.” Seething, Ten spits out and tosses the burning stub into the little fishbowl on the nightstand, startling the lone goldfish. “Someone played me so hard I look like a fucking fool.”

He hastily gets off the bed and pulls out the brand new Ivory White suit from one of the paper bags, holding it up in front of him as he stands by the mirror. Ten lets out an appreciative hum, straightening the fabric.

“I normally don’t fuck with people who belittle me, alright. But I also don’t let them see the end of the day.”

He looks at his own reflection in the mirror. Ten sees the ill intentions he possesses through the open windows of his blue irises, letting him know the dangers that are about to come.

“The evil is among us, Jaehyun. I’m looking at it right now.

0o0o0

He’s just right in time. Limousines are arriving one by one. Valet boys assist the successful attendees of the gala before driving off the vehicles to a secluded area to park away from the potential intrusive eyes. These members of different crime groups are supposed to gather in a wide hall inside the hotel elegantly decorated with the grandest ornaments as waiters roam around with trays of the finest wines.

Ten, who’s dressed in a crisp white suit and pointed black, shiny shoes, puts on his silver Colombina mask. His red hair is gelled back, away from his forehead to keep a single strand from falling over his eyes. He then moves out of his hiding spot and strides towards the entrance with an air of confidence, one of his hands kept in his pants’ pocket.

The guards ask for an invitation. The gears in his head start turning to formulate the most valid excuse when he spots someone standing out from the distant crowd huddled inside the hall. He can’t be mistaken. Even if the other’s back is turned to him, he knows exactly who stands that way – calculated and always posed as though he’s preparing on the battlefield.

It’s Jung Jaehyun. 

“Your invitation, sir?”

Ten eyes the guard. Schooling his features to feign innocence won’t do since he’s wearing a mask so he opts to change the tone of his voice to that of plead and utter embarrassment.

“Ma faute”, Apologizing in French, Ten notices that the guard is a little surprised and his expression turns into familiarity, probably glad that he had finally spoken to a local. “J’e suis arrive en retard. Je suis avec Invictus.”

At the mention of Invictus, the guard quickly looks for the name of the organization on the system and happily lets him in, even apologizing for holding him back. A grateful smile graces Ten’s face before he walks away, entering through another set of doors just as Jaehyun glances at the entrance mindlessly, watching the people still arriving.

“Jaehyun,” Johnny calls, whispering close to his ear. There’s an orchestra playing on stage and the soft tunes linger in the air, as well as the hushed conversations of the other attendees. “Do you know where the boss is? This is going to take approximately four hours – with the first two for socialization before the usual big announcements.”

Their team leader shakes his head, also clueless. “I don’t know. I don’t even know how he looks like. Much less his name. Maybe we should wait for him to formally make his appearance before we approach him. We might come off too strong if we look for him now.”

“Alright,” The taller gives up before snatching a wine from a roaming waiter. “Their Kingpin is very private, though. Preferring to be strictly addressed as Fort. Actually,” Johnny continues in a matter-of-fact tone, mouth curving downwards as his shoulders shrug. “None of us knows his real name. Only boss Namgyu did. And get this…” As though he’s spilling something very interesting, Johnny leans in again, smirking. “Their Kingpin is young. He had been handling Garnet since he was in his 20s, if I’m not mistaken. But that’s most likely with the guidance of his father, huh? The previous Kingpin.”

“Kingpin in his 20s…” Jaehyun repeats the only information that his mind deems significant. How strong and wise is this person that he had managed to prove himself worthy to lead such a powerful organization?

Envy boils in Jaehyun’s blood. If only his father was this permissive and had believed in him, then he wouldn’t have joined Red Phoenix and instead brought Invictus to the top on his own before all of this.

The party officially begins when the doors of the hall close, blocking the civilians from viewing what happens in the gala.

Two hours. Jaehyun has to wait for two hours. For the meantime, he expands his network by going around, introducing himself with the other organization leaders. There are at least 20 that were invited, coming from all over the world.

The other members of the squad go around as well, interacting and spreading Invictus’ name within the circle.

“–established back in 2009, yes.” Jaehyun boasts, proudly telling a Chinese mafia group’s leader the basic profile of his own group.

The Chinese leader blinks, leaning back a little. “2009? That’s nearly 10 years ago, and you’re still staying in Korea? I believe Garnet had already expanded over here when they were 7 or 8 years in the business. If that’s the case, then I bet you’re a first-rate locally? Don’t you want to build a name internationally?”

The man apparently relishes in the misfortune of Invictus as a second-rate Korean mafia. Jaehyun bites back an acid remark and instead flashes a smile that he hopes looks as humble as a simple merchant’s before tipping his glass of wine, lightly sipping. Besides, humility will keep them fascinated, never running out of questions to feed their curiosity.

“We’re heading that way. I’m actually here to talk to Fort, to hopefully build rapport with him.”

“Rapport,” The man chuckles loftily, sipping his drink. “That’s all you’ll get with a man like him if even in your own country you still haven’t established a stronger reputation. Say,” Jaehyun keeps his cool, facing the man directly as he feigns rapt attention. “Red Phoenix is the only Korean mafia that managed to win Fort’s interest. They’ve gotten quiet lately, I wonder if they’re planning something huge. You look young, Mr. Jung…right, did I get that correctly?” The Chinese man clarifies. “If you’re here as a proxy for your Kingpin, you must be that brave to challenge Red Phoenix’s heir. That’s only fair, right? An heir against an heir.”

His lips tremble as anger starts to slip and spill from his core. He’s aware of the power Red Phoenix held, but they still don’t know about its recent demise. That’s the only reason they won’t stop praising the ghost organization.

And did Jaehyun hear that right? They’re aware of Red Phoenix’s heir? But no one knew about Ten Chittaphon’s identity until the murder of Kim Jaeseok.

Jaehyun downs the rest of his wine in one gulp, the heat of the liquid smoothly cascading down his throat. “This may be my first mistake – I didn’t research much about their second-in-command. Can you tell me about this supposedly powerful authority?”

Oblivious of Jaehyun’s intentions, the Chinese leader obliged to reveal some useless information. “It’s been going around in the mafia world for a while about the heir of Garnet’s only Korean associate. As much as it’s been widely talked about, their Kingpin didn’t actually disclose any information about their heir. We only know that there’s one, but we have never seen even the shadow of that person. The people are beginning to think it’s a myth.”

A myth. Jaehyun has to make sure that Ten Chittaphon stays a myth.

Making sure not to show too much attention to that detail, Jaehyun diverts the topic to the event at hand. “I wonder what might be the announcement later. According to my informant, it’s regarding a huge accomplishment. Apparently Garnet moves in the shadows before revealing their achievements.”

“There’s a reason why Garnet is where they are. They stay quiet in the process. I suggest you learn from this gathering.”

The sharpshooter smiles as he hands his empty glass to a waiter. “It was wonderful talking to you, Mr. Huang. Here’s my business card. I hope we see each other again in the future for greater ambitions.”

The two part ways immediately and Jaehyun turns to find his team. They’re gone from the table they were surrounding before, most likely still mingling with the others. Jaehyun’s just about to pull out his phone to call Doyoung when he spots an unmistakable red mop of hair in the sidelines.

It’s blending in the shadows, but he doesn’t miss the outstanding blue eyes accentuated by the silver Colombina mask.

Ten spotted him as well, if the sultry smile directed to him was anything to go by.

Jaehyun checks his watch. There’s still an hour left before the announcement. He pads across the carpeted floor of the hall and grabs the redhead’s arm, pulling him to a corner where no one will notice them. They’re partly hidden behind a pillar, and Jaehyun hopes none of his team starts looking for him.

“We already left you in the hideout.” His tone is venomous, ready to poison the redhead who looks absolutely dauntless. It intimidates the one who’s attempting to be feared. Jaehyun’s hand tightens around Ten’s arm, the one that was impaled with a bullet. “What the hell are you doing here? Are you following me?”

He made the right decision of not bringing Léonie with them. Who knew that the redhead will be tailing him?

“Following you?” Ten rips his arm out of Jaehyun’s grip and calmly straightens his sleeve. His eyes don’t leave the other’s, silently taunting. “Don’t be a snowflake. You’re not that special. You’re not special at all.” Blue eyes quickly scan the table of beverages, one of them twitching before Ten fixes his mask. “Don’t they have sweets in here? Everything is insipid.”

“It’s only insipid to your Ageusiac tongue, Ten Chittaphon.” Jaehyun seethes at the way the other’s name rolled off of his tongue, tasting a mixture of bitter and saccharine. With no other place in the hall secluded enough to confront the deranged killer, Jaehyun grabs Ten’s hand and drags him through one of the doors and rides a luckily empty elevator to the floor where his reserved room is. Garnet had generously booked rooms for the foreign attendees.

Jaehyun is abruptly reminded of their days at the cabin babysitting the unstable man when he unceremoniously pushes Ten into his hotel room before swiftly locking the door behind him. He throws off his Mezza Sky Blue half-mask and stalks over to the redhead as the mask drops carelessly on the floor.

Ten’s head hits the wall with a sickening thud as Jaehyun pins him with an arm against the chest. The lack of expression on the older’s face takes Jaehyun back to the first mission they had done, when he regarded Ten as an empty vessel of what used to be a human being when he mercilessly pierced through those Dragonaire men with his beloved blades.

“Are you here to kill me?” Jaehyun pats down the other’s body, opening his suit jacket and pulling out the undershirt from having tucked. There are no straps of blades.

Ten stands still, unbothered as he looks around the room, admiring the grand ambiance. “Nice room. Mine’s a three-star. What’s this room rated with, 10 stars?” Wide eyes glance down as Jaehyun kneels on the floor in front of him, feeling up one of his legs. “I’m not here to get a head.”

“Bastard,” Jaehyun hisses, standing up. “Don’t act dumb with me, Ten. Put that 220 to good use.” He reaches for the other’s mask, wanting to rip it off and look at the other’s face but Ten is stealthy, quick to evade the foreseen action.

Now at the far end of the room, the knife thrower slowly inspects the array of picture frames hanging on the wall. They tell of the historical France. He knows most of it, having frequented that particular public library in Korea to know a lot about his home country.

“Why am I here, you ask? Have you forgotten I’m literally French, born in Bordeaux, migrated to Paris for some time before we were acquiescently dragged to Korea? Or did that rabbit that’s supposedly a Gold-card expert informant forget to search in my file for you? I’m just coming back home.”

“Don’t divert the topic!” Jaehyun bursts in frustration, eager to know the truth. “You’re here to kill me, is that it? Because you can’t accept the fact that you were left alone again? For the second time?”

Jaehyun doesn’t see it coming. He had been distractedly approaching the redhead while he was accusing him, and didn’t expect the forceful kick to his abdomen, making him stagger back until the back of his legs hit the edge of the bed and he plops down, sitting as he clutches the front of his suit. “You crazy –“

“Crazy? Crazy what? I know I’m crazy. I’ve stopped denying how sick in the head I am some time ago. I hate people, I hate talking, I hate being looked at, I hate the sound of people breathing around me. I hate the thought of these much people being alive at the same time. The fucking world is too crowded, Jaehyun. Too fucking densely populated. Now you know why I want to kill every single living thing I come across that irritates the fuck out of me. Don’t start it. I’m not here to kill you. Or maybe I do, but not in the way you expect it.”

Ten approaches him, bending over with hands on his knees to level his face with Jaehyun’s. “And did you hit your head or something? I thought I did. But hey,” The redhead tips Jaehyun’s chin up with an index finger. “I was abandoned by people who were expected to look after me thrice. Come on, Jaehyun. I know you know your Maths. First, when Lee Namgyu walked out on us. Second, when you let the fucking Japanese drag you away during the war with Dragonaire, and third….this. You think I’m stupid? Don’t belittle me.”

Ten pulls away, walking backwards slowly as his eyes remain on Jaehyun. “Three times. Does it stand for I hate you?”

“You think I’ll stay to look after you? What are you, a toddler? Okay, I get it.” Jaehyun stands, a little pained. “You’re obsessed with me.”

The explicit accusation doesn’t affect Ten Chittaphon like how Jaehyun intended to. The other remains stone-faced, lips pressed gently with eyes boring into his soul.

“Obsession,” Ten repeats the word as though he’s testing how it sounds coming out of his mouth. Suddenly he lights up, like a bulb as he snaps a finger as if he just discovered something very interesting. “That’s it! That’s the word I’m looking for! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that? Ah, Jaehyun. Now you shouldn’t put so much faith on my IQ. Can you believe that I didn’t think of that?” Ten starts pacing back and forth, hands on his hips as his body starts to shake in laughter. “Obsession!” His voice booms inside the room and Jaehyun only watches in bewilderment as the redhead slowly loses his mask of sanity.

Ten stops pacing, looking at him with wide eyes as a wicked smile adorns his face. “That’s the word I’ve been thinking of to describe your eagerness to climb the top! You’re obsessed! You’re disturbingly avid. You stole Red Phoenix’s proposals to use it for the advantage of Invictus. How shameless of you, Jaehyun. Taking the credit from Lee Namgyu? That’s why you’re here at the gala, right?”

Jaehyun’s eyes are wide in shock and his heart thunders in his ribcage. He certainly did not steal the proposals. They were already in the laptop and Ten knows it! He’s the one who retrieved those files before he found them! “I didn’t steal them, Ten. But they’re already useless to Red Phoenix because that organization is gone. Dead. It died with your father. Who’s going to use it? I’m still a legitimate member of Red Phoenix and I have the right to use those proposals as I see fit. Besides, why the hell do you care about it?”

“I don’t wanna see you succeed. As simple as that.” Ten’s face switches back to his usual empty-looking one. He remains where he stands, staring like a living dead at the very ambitious man in front of him. “Jaehyun, we could’ve lived together – all of us, even those fucking annoying friends of yours harmoniously.” The redhead mutters the word coyly, purposely provoking the sharpshooter. “I keep feeling like you’re playing me, you know? We had sex, and then you left. We had sex again, and then you left. And you make it sound like I’m forcing you? When you ended up wanting it both times. I know you wanted it; you were just being difficult. Now, the point is you made me feel like someone is finally genuinely interested in me. I don’t care how you take it. But I took it as if someone finally is not looking at me the way these roaches you call friends see me.”

The Stella Silver White mask falls on the floor and Ten closes the distance between him and Jaehyun, stopping a few inches before the younger. “I told you you’re my first friend. But you fucking tossed me like a fucking trash, Jaehyun. That’s some low level shit right there. I can’t even fucking comprehend it.”

He slips both hands in his pockets and a few more curses spill from his lips. They tremble then, and his hands shake as the desire to inflict pain surges through Ten’s bloodstream. Shifting his weight on either foot, Ten speaks. “I’m fucking incapable of building any sort of relationship, alright? I hate everything, I hate everyone. But I liked you enough to think you’re my friend, and that no matter what I won’t fucking kill you. How stupid of me to think that someone as normal as you will stay with a fucking crazy murderer like me. God dammit, Jaehyun.”

The words may spill like tasteless wine from Ten, but they pierce through Jaehyun’s heart like arrowheads spiked with the most lethal toxin. All of a sudden, all the hostility he harbors for the knife thrower vanishes into thin air and replaced with misery. Misery for meeting at the wrong time, misery for living in the wrong kind of world. Jaehyun won’t lie; he tried to see himself befriending Ten like how he did with the squad, only if the other was able to handle his own qualms.

But some things are not meant to happen. And even if he wants to stay with Ten, it’s better that he doesn’t.

Jaehyun thinks it’s better that he doesn’t.

“Ten.”

Jaehyun calls him. Ten doesn’t hear it over the sound of his own demons. The sharpshooter notices how badly the other’s hands are trembling and instantly knows what Ten’s going through. They’re in Garnet’s territory. He can’t let Ten make some mess. There are a lot of very important people in the building at the moment, and if Ten disappears to kill one of them again, Jaehyun won’t know what to do anymore.

But right now, he does.

So he pushes the redhead in bed and Jaehyun settles between his legs, pressing a finger against thin lips. “You’re having those tics again.”

“What did my tics ever do to you again?” Ten speaks with the finger against his mouth and as he’s hit with a ridiculous thought, his tongue slithers out to wrap around Jaehyun’s index, swirling. His blue eyes hold so much mischief that they spill through his perverse action. “Ooh, is this what you actually want to do when you dragged me here? I knew you find me…” Ten pushes himself up and tugs Jaehyun’s lobe with his teeth, “…irresistible.”

“Right,” Jaehyun doesn’t deny, only outright admits it. It’s tiring – denying the truth that has always been there from the start. It’s the sole reason why he didn’t leave the cafeteria when the knife thrower smashed the poor Red Phoenix member’s head against the table. It’s the reason why he entered the gym after seeing the threat that is Ten Chittaphon. It’s the reason why he didn’t leave the cabin when he could, the reason why he gave in to the redhead’s persuasion for the first time and the reason why he’s in bed with him again.

He’d like to think it’s purely sexual – but is he going to tire himself out with another lie?

Jaehyun prevents his mind to come to a conclusion he doesn’t need it to by claiming the older’s lips. The kiss begins rough, harsh without mercy only to gradually slow down, tasting each other more passionately. His hands find themselves gripping the waistband of Ten’s pants and Jaehyun is quick to work, unbuttoning and zipping it open, and pulling down until it comes off of legs that go for miles. It was a little frustrating since he forgot about Ten’s shoes, ripping it off of the man for the pants to be completely taken off.

“Hey, slow the fuck down you’re gonna fucking tear it. I gotta leave this place fully clothed, you bastard.” Ten warns before doing the same to Jaehyun’s pants. Soon they’re both half naked, boxers also discarded and their hardness grinding against each other, eliciting moans from both men.

Ten’s head rolls back, slender neck craning for Jaehyun to leave marks on. Sucking on a spot, Jaehyun lets his tongue trace circles on the knife thrower’s pulse point before biting down, feeling the rapid throbbing as the redhead hisses. When he pulls back there’s already a blooming bruise around the area and Jaehyun gyrates his hips faster, pinning Ten down with his weight.

“God,” Ten moans, following the movement of Jaehyun’s hips. His blue eyes go south to watch the lewd sight, rolling harder against the man above him. It forces another moan out of Jaehyun, and the younger spits on his hand before wrapping it around both of their lengths, stroking rapidly.

The familiar sensation of climax starts churning in their bellies but Ten wants to prolong it this time, taking Jaehyun by surprise as he flips them over, changing their positions. With him now on top, Ten reaches over the bedside drawer and smirks as he sees what he’s looking for, pulling out the small bottle of what Jaehyun thinks it is.

The sharpshooter stiffens as Ten uncaps it and spills an ample amount on his fingers. “Wait,” Jaehyun’s hands move frantically. “Wait I’m not ready!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” The redhead knocks the air out of Jaehyun’s lungs as his hand reaches in between his own legs and the cool fingers press against his tight pucker, slowly rubbing.

“Holy shit.” Jaehyun hardens even more as Ten slips two fingers at once, already scissoring his entrance. There’s no hint of discomfort on the older’s face as he stares at Jaehyun, blue eyes curtained with a hazy film of lust while his fingers picked up their pace, deliberately thrusting in and out of his hole.

Awed and absolutely horny, Jaehyun fixes their positions and sits up with his back resting against the headboard as Ten continues to fuck himself with his fingers. To see the man looking so delicious like this, Jaehyun’s mind goes into a haywire and bursts into a million specks.

“Stop it, stop it – I can’t take it anymore.” Jaehyun forces Ten to pull out his fingers and he moves to lift the other, only for his hands to be swatted away with a sounding slap. Looking up, Jaehyun sees blue, blazing fireballs dance in Ten’s irises.

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do, demanding sonnuva bitch.” The redhead leans forward and holds Jaehyun’s cock to point the tip to his entrance and doesn’t even slow as he sinks down, gritting his teeth to mask the agonizing pain on his bottom. Jaehyun knows it hurts like a bitch, but he won’t question Ten’s preferences. The other doesn’t feel pain but gets off on it at the same time.

Ruthless as he is, Ten doesn’t allow himself to adjust to Jaehyun’s size and for the other to take some deep breaths before he starts bouncing, eagerly riding the gunman’s cock. Jaehyun is rendered speechless and breathless, his hand gripping Ten’s waist while the man on top of him continues to make him feel so damn good. The last time they had sex, he was disappointed that Ten didn’t let him put it in but still loved slipping in and out of the knife thrower’s thighs. Right now, though, feels tremendously better as Jaehyun pushes the redhead back a bit, tilting his head as he watches the skin of Ten’s pucker stretched wide to accommodate his girth.

His cock drags erotically against tight, hot walls. Ten’s brows crease as he concentrates, his own cock slapping against his belly with every slam down the younger’s length. His stern face breaks and contorts into ecstasy as the bulbous tip hits something inside of him that makes him see stars, and he continues his steady pace as pleasure wildly courses through every fiber of his body.

Jaehyun rips his eyes off of the vulgar view and focuses them on Ten’s debauched face. The other’s so fucking beautiful right now, almost topping off the time they were driving to the market and the sun hits the older’s side profile, coloring it with a little orange and punctuating the soft shade of his caramel hair. Jaehyun’s fixation still remains and he grabs a handful of Ten’s crimson hair, tugging.

“Fuck…” Calloused hands wrap around Jaehyun’s throat. Ten stares him down, azure eyes filled with rage and betrayal and misery and if Jaehyun isn’t wrong, he’ll boldly say there’s even a flash of affection. Ten doesn’t feel affection. He doesn’t feel anything and all of this is just a spur of the moment. The younger allows him to do as he pleases, tightens those fingers to block his airway.

When he’s starting to feel lightheaded, Ten speaks above him, not even losing his speed. “I wonder how it feels like to kill you, Jaehyun. Would it feel better than an orgasm?” Ten groans, roughly slamming down and clenching around Jaehyun. “I want your blood. I only want your blood.” Jaehyun gasps, his fingers grabbing Ten’s but the iron grip can’t be pried away. He doesn’t beg for mercy when he looks at Ten again, only canting his hips as he fucks up into the older, and the squelch that echoes in the room pushes him close to his climax.

“But I’d rather see you fall into a heap of failure than taste your blood in my mouth. That’s more satisfying.”

Jaehyun’s hips stutter as he shoots his load into Ten, filling the older to the brim. His moans bounce against the four walls of the room and Ten painfully clamps around his slowly softening cock before following, spilling his cum against his own stomach with some of it dripping on Jaehyun’s suit jacket.

Ten stops moving, releasing a few hoarse groans before getting off of Jaehyun and the younger then takes a few deep breaths, rubbing his aching throat.

Chests heaving, they lie next to each other sated. Ten grabs the roll of tissue from the drawer, knocking off the box of condoms before ripping some tissue to throw on Jaehyun’s stomach. He cleans himself up, wiping off the stickiness slowly dripping out of his hole.

“We should’ve taken off our tops, yeah? But too late for that.” Ten mumbles, cleaning off the mess on his black undershirt. It leaves a slightly wet patch and he curses under his breath before sitting up, ignoring the burn that stretches from his legs up the length of his spine.

Silence blankets them as the two men dress up, backs turned to each other. Ten is the first one to groom himself, standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom to comb through his hair. A small bottle of hair wax sits inside the cabinet and Ten dips his fingers to scoop some before brushing his hair back into place. When not a single strand is falling over, he walks out of the bathroom and picks up the fallen mask on the floor, quickly putting it back on.

Jaehyun closes the drawer to hide the evidence of their activity. Garnet sure knows what’s about to happen after the gala, not even bothering to hide their generosity with how many women are present inside the hall. If his intuition proves itself right, those women are not even members of any organization. They’re most likely rented by Garnet for the night to please the army of men currently having a good time at the party.

It’ll be hilarious if they discover the lube was used for a man in Jaehyun’s room. He wonders, did they already assign women to knock on their doors once the night grows deeper? Jaehyun won’t be able to say no.

He realizes Ten is still in the room. Jaehyun clicks his tongue, opening one window to allow the smell of sex to leave and to let in a little bit of cold as his body hasn’t adjusted yet from the recent vigorous intercourse he just had.

“You should leave, Ten. We’re on our way to talk to Garnet after this. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Really?” Ten asks, one hand in his pocket while the other adjusts the mask on his face, balancing it well to accentuate his eyes perfectly. “We’ll see about that. You have your agenda; I have my own.”

Jaehyun clenches his fists. “Then why don’t you try to kill me now? While we’re still here.” Noticing his mask on the floor, Jaehyun picks it up and holds it, not bothering to wear it again. “I’m already making it easier for you.”

“Easier for me?” Blue eyes zoom in on the faint redness on Jaehyun’s neck. “And how is that working out for you?” Ten closes the distance between them and fixes Jaehyun’s collar. Their breaths mingle, but neither accelerates. “I’ll come get you, Jaehyun – one way or another.”

The door closes with a bang but the noise doesn’t startle him. His phone rings and he immediately reads the caller ID before he can dwell on Ten’s words, a brow arching as he reads Doyoung’s name.

“What is it?”

“Where are you? Fort will come up soon.”

“I’m just in my room. I’m heading back now.”

***

Ten walks down the grand staircase, accidentally bumping shoulders with a stranger. He doesn’t budge even as the woman hisses at him and demands for an apology, heading down as though he didn’t hear anything. He’s about to return to the hall when someone painfully familiar is caught in his periphery. Glancing back, his face hardens as he takes in a man dressed in a simple black suit talking to another man dressed in the same attire. From the body language, Ten deciphers that they must be working for Garnet. They don’t look important enough for the gala, like one of the board members or the higher-ups of the organization but Ten knows a man of syndicate when he sees one.

And it’s beyond astonishment he’s feeling at the moment as he watches the unmistakable visage of Moon Taeil obliviously chatting with someone.

The former assistant of Red Phoenix’s kingpin turns around and Ten swiftly moves behind a pillar. He remains calm and collected as the gears in his head begin to work out the answers to a few questions: He’s alive? I thought all men were killed aside from that stupid squad? What is he doing here?

At the sight of Jung Jaehyun racing downstairs, Ten tries even harder to stay in the shadows. He watches the younger enter the hall, catching a bit of what’s going on inside when one of the doors open. It seems like the announcement is about to start.

Poking his head out from his hiding spot, Ten’s eyes squint as Moon Taeil leaves with the man he was chatting with. The redhead contemplates whether he should follow or not – it’s a big mystery that the man looks completely unscathed and acting very familiar in the area. But a more pressing matter awaits him.

I’ll look for you later, Moon Taeil.

Ten schools his expression and smiles at the security men by the door leading to the hall.

When he enters, a man wearing an impeccable red suit and a half-mask is already standing on the stage. The obviously powerful figure taps the microphone twice before greeting the attendees who have been waiting patiently for his arrival.

“I guess that’s him…?” Yuta asks more to himself than to anyone but Winwin nods anyway, mouth slightly pressed into a thin line in all seriousness. Fort, clearly satisfied with the response calls for a waiter with one curl of his finger and picks up a glass of wine.

“As it has already been a tradition in Garnet to hold a party as to celebrate a new successful deal, I’m going to call someone as equally important as I am to stand here right in front of you.” The Garnet’s boss, with his voice rich and deep and alluring, calls a man looking stern and powerful, a proof that Garnet only interacts with those of their status. The second man is far older, but his aura isn’t less than Fort’s.

“I know most of you are aware of something huge, something remarkable being planned in the background during the short time Garnet kept silent. We don’t keep silent if nothing’s going according to our favors. I know this project will be good news not only to me, but to everyone of you here that I know will be interested to expand their businesses.”

Jaehyun sips his wine slowly, eyes trained on the two figures on the stage. His heart beats a little faster than normal and he isn’t sure whether it’s from the anticipation building in the place or the previous encounter with a certain someone. 

He’s getting more impatient as the seconds tick by.

What kind of dramatic announcement is this? Come on, Garnet. Finish it up so I can talk to you and save Invictus from its pathetic standing.

“Here with me,” Fort grins and the smile makes him even more intimidating than gentle. Because behind that smile is another plan of evil that the world will only tolerate using its little helpless human beings. “Is Adelmo Russo, kingpin of Casanov. For everyone’s knowledge,” Fort signals the orchestra to begin playing before he looks at the rest of the organizations subpar to Garnet. “Garnet and Casanov had successfully closed deals. Projects. Would anyone want to hear the firsthand details?”

Ten stands perfectly still near the door, staring at the man who used to make Red Phoenix just as powerful. Fort is just as greedy as everyone and Korea doesn’t disappoint with its demands for Garnet’s aid, and certainly, the Kingpin won’t just drop them.

If that’s the case.

“Projects?” Taeyong repeats, awestruck. “Would they be willing to talk to us for more projects?”

“They should be.” Jaehyun insists.

The crowd murmurs, feeding the anticipation.

“Well, I shall not make you wait for long.” Fort nods at Adelmo Russo before they clink their glasses of alcohol. “Garnet and Casanov are now partners for the first time, to be the primary distributors of Asian women into the biggest prostitution district in Europe!”

The crowd cheers. Jaehyun’s glass tips over his hand and breaks into tiny shards by his foot. A waiter quickly tends to him, asks if he’s fine and offers a napkin that Jaehyun blatantly ignores in lieu of focusing on the loud buzzing in his veins. He doesn’t need to look at the others to know they’re wearing the same level of horror on their faces. His hands shake but he can’t move away from his spot.

Fort relishes in the sound of victory and support from the other bosses and second-in-commands. “And that doesn’t stop there! Casanov is also now the biggest shareholder after yours truly in an existing business of distribution of drugs not just in a particular Asian country, you must know where Garnet started – but it will stretch all over Asia as we are now gathering interested clients. It’s not too late for all of you to be closer to us and strengthen our ties.”

His head pounds. Jaehyun can feel his legs about to give way and leans over the tall table, gripping its edge. He almost doesn’t feel the hand supporting his weight as his world crumbles right in front of him.

His own image of success. His own dream of paradise. It has been taken away from him.

Ten’s eyes are blown wide in great disbelief. So Invictus failed to close the deal, not because he had managed to stop it but because Garnet already has the proposals and used it for themselves to partner up with another first-rate group.

What about Invictus? What exactly happened? Was it stolen from them?

He needs to go. It’s unnecessary to stay when he doesn’t need to ruin Invictus with his own hands anymore. Garnet already did it for him.

The knife thrower disappears out of the hall and stealthily leaves the hotel with a little smirk on the corner of his lips.

Jung Jaehyun is over even before he started.

Now on to the next game: What is Moon Taeil doing in Paris?

***

“How did this happen?” Jaehyun angrily paces back and forth, clutching his hair tight. They had escaped the suffocating confines of the hall and settled in their leader’s room, all equally shocked and baffled by Garnet’s announcement. “No one outside Red Phoenix and Invictus knows about this!”

None of them responds, having nothing to pacify the worsening mood of Invictus’ heir.

Jaehyun seethes, face going red by the minute. “It can only be one person. Or two. Motherfucking… It can be a lot more than that.” He abruptly stops pacing, colliding against Johnny who remains stupefied and pulls out a bag from underneath the bed, hurling the laptop to Doyoung’s awaiting hands. “Check all file transfers. Bluetooth, email, external – I know you can trace it.”

The clock ticks right behind them as they hold their breaths while the Gold-card hacker works as fast as he can. They wait and wait for something they don’t even know and the atmosphere intensifies as seconds passed by without any word from Kim Doyoung.

It’s like they’re waiting for another loss.

“Wait.” He finally says, coming up with several windows on the laptop screen. Doyoung turns it around for everyone to see. “I restored all mails and a deactivated account has been found. Whoever did this isn’t very equipped in this area.” Doyoung frowns, facing the laptop back to him. “The account is deleted. I can still trace the server since we have the content. And I already downloaded the files sent to this strange account. The files are the proposals. They were sent almost two months ago.”

The sound of keys rapidly pressed reverberates in the room. Doyoung turns the laptop around for the second time. “It’s a local account. Tracing back to Korea.”

Jaehyun glares at the laptop as an idea spouts in his mind. “…Was Ten Chittaphon ever allowed to use electronics?”

The question confuses them, but Yuta speaks up to sustain Jaehyun with what knowledge everyone has. “Well, we rarely saw him out of his room and if he did, he’s zoning out sucking on a candy or whatever he got from the vending machine in the cafeteria. Red Phoenix provided all of us a phone that we could only use inside the HQ. As for me I never saw him use his…? Why?”

“You know how he hated Lee Namgyu and ‘never wanted to be a part’ or the organization, right?”

“Are you telling me…?”

The sharpshooter’s eyes darken. “We don’t know who owns that account but if someone in Red Phoenix had been tampering with the org’s business, then that person must have such hostility. Ten Chittaphon is the only one I can think of who will turn his back against the group if given the chance. Get this,” Jaehyun crosses his arms over his chest, looking each of them in the eyes. “Lee Namgyu kept him in the dark, wouldn’t let him kill; What if he was sabotaging the org without anyone knowing? That’s an illegal transaction within the org!”

“That isn’t impossible.” Taeyong says, approving of Jaehyun’s assumptions. “Considering how we rarely saw him take part in formal meetings and butchered the last mission. If that’s the case, what was his purpose?”

“Does he even need a purpose?” Jaehyun counters, but he suddenly remembers Ten’s fixation on his betrayed friendship. That can’t be. This looks like it’s been happening before we went to the cabin. “It’s to see everyone lose. Everything is a game to him. He’s crazy; he doesn’t need a logical reason to mess around.”

God. How is he going to report back to his father? At this point he shall think twice whether he should still go back to Invictus.

“Is Garnet innocent then?”

Jaehyun looks at Yuta. “That I don’t know. How did anyone from intelligence not notice this?”

The question irks Doyoung a little bit, glaring at the back of Jaehyun’s head. “Red Phoenix blocked strange accounts from being used so that’s probably why.”

“Huh. Why didn’t they block strange accounts from receiving email?”

Doyoung’s resolve starts to falter as he rechecks the location of the deactivated account. “It seems like the account was made by a Red Phoenix member who sent the files. We didn’t expect this to happen, so it didn’t cross anyone’s mind that a possible new account was registered in the system. As you all know, the system Red Phoenix used was custom-made just for the organization, so it didn’t occur to us any kind of suspicious messages. Moreover, the mails were deleted right away. If you didn’t think of restoring these mails, even I wouldn’t consider such possibility.”

Jaehyun’s head is in turmoil. Even though Ten Chittaphon can trample Red Phoenix on his own, he knows he’s still being unreasonable. If only they could retrieve the CCTV in the HQ, then it would be easy to put his doubts to a conclusion.

“Err, listen.” Sicheng starts, stealing the attention. “I don’t like the dude and all as well, but aren’t we jumping into conclusions too fast? Did we ever see him go out of the HQ without a mission? He rarely partook in one too, choosing to do his job in the torture chamber because let’s be real, that’s everything he wants to do all his life. Jaehyun, weren’t you getting chummy with him? Why the sudden….hatred?” Sicheng questions. He just doesn’t get how Jaehyun suddenly acts so aggressive when he used to be able to tolerate the knife thrower.

It takes him off-guard, stepping back. Suddenly all of the attention is back on him but with a different reason. “That’s all sex, Winwin. Don’t push it.”

The Chinese man opens his mouth but Jaehyun beats him to it. “It’s not like you don’t mess around.”

A gasp leaves Taeyong’s lips and his hand flies over his mouth.

“What!” Winwin blurts out, reddening in the face. “What do you –“

“Nakamoto Yuta.” Jaehyun says tiredly, picking his ear. “Rings a bell?”

“How did you –“

“Oh my God…” Johnny exclaims, mouth agape. Doyoung isn’t any different. “We’re all gays.”

“Shut up I’m not!” The hacker grunts, almost throwing the laptop on Johnny’s way if not for Yuta pulling him back down, avoiding everyone’s eyes.

The Japanese rubs a hand down his face. “That was one time… I didn’t even know we were loud enough to disrupt you, Jaehyun.”

“Don’t worry.” The Gold-card mollifies. “I am not upset or what it’s your busine–“

“Fine, fine.” Sicheng sighs, hands thrown in the air in resignation. “That aside, is he the only suspicious member? And does this really matter now? Garnet already sealed the deal with that Casanov. Do we need to know who exactly got the files? It’s most likely not from Red Phoenix if they had to create, register and deactivate a whole account. Plus if the receiver was a local, how did it reach Garnet?”

Johnny chimes in. “Come one Win, there must be a lot of tricks up his sleeve. The man’s got crazy IQ, yeah? He can still send it outside of the country.”

“But if it’s not from Red Phoenix, then who? Must be smart enough to read through the numbers in the proposal.” Jaehyun sits on the bed, restlessly biting a fingernail. “What do I do now… I can’t go back to Invictus, I promised dad.”

“There’s nothing you can do about it now, Jaehyun. Someone had given the proposals to Garnet. This is why they won’t talk to Red Phoenix anymore – someone must have informed them that Red Phoenix is offering up their projects.”

“Is it that easy?” Jaehyun irately asks.

“It is. Seeing that Garnet suddenly doesn’t know a Red Phoenix and is now far up Casanov’s ass. Everything is still business, you know. No matter the longevity of partnership. If someone’s better, then you go for it.”

No. Jaehyun can’t just let this go. Someone hated Red Phoenix and as existing members, even if the organization’s dead, they have the right to claim the proposals and utilize them. He needs a clarification from anyone, most likely Garnet. But they won’t talk to anyone who doesn’t have any business with them, especially a second-rate group that doesn’t even have a strong reputation.

Are we still even a second-rate? We only climbed the ladder when we secured that small connection with Red Phoenix. They’re gone. We’re a puny group.

“Ten Chittaphon was here.”

“What?”

Jaehyun side-eyes them. “He was here. I don’t know how he got in, but I saw him earlier in the hall, mask and suit and all. He said he was going to see to it that I don’t succeed with our plans.” 

Doyoung shakes his head and puts the laptop back in the bag. “Then it’s confirmed. He must be the one to offer the proposals to Garnet. We don’t have sufficient evidence, but it’s the most logical. Why did you let him go, Jaehyun?”

“I didn’t know, okay?” Sensing the unfair insinuation, Jaehyun snaps. “How would I know he had already done it and was just being cryptic with me? How would I know that all this backstabbing was even happening in the first place? I came to Red Phoenix around the time it was already happening, from the date of that strange mail. How would I know? Shouldn’t you guys know, of all people?”

All eyes leave him as he has clearly put them all to shame. Jaehyun grabs the bag and chucks the mask in the trash bin. “Let’s go back. We have no business here.” He opens the door and a woman stands outside, clad in almost nothing with her fist halfway in the air as though she was about to knock. Jaehyun sidesteps. “Go home. No one’s gonna fuck you here; they’re all gays.”

“I told you I’m not!” Doyoung shouts behind him as he walks down the hallway, fishing out the van’s keys from the laptop bag.

0o0o0

He can only execute his plans at night if he doesn’t want anyone suspecting him. He’s already suspicious enough acting as normal as he can.

Ten slaps the pack against his palm a few times, chucking out a cancer stick. He puts it back in the pocket of his leather jacket after lighting it, soon taking the luxury of his first cancer suction.

From his spot against a bricked wall of a dingy apartment complex, Ten watches all the visible entrances of Garnet’s HQ. It’s as high as Red Phoenix’s used to be, standing in a lot possibly thousands of square meters. If a mafia’s HQ stands out as much as Garnet does in a place like Paris, then they must have paid a handsome amount to the government to keep their mouths shut.

Sharp, blue eyes keep their focus on the in and out of Garnet employees wearing corporate attires. Surprisingly, they have quite a number of women workers – something that Red Phoenix could only dream of, particularly a certain person who hated him for getting the attention of all the women they had.

Ten briskly runs a hand through his hair before slipping it in his pocket, the other one occupied with pinching the cigarette in between his middle and index fingers. Snow is a rarity in Paris and it has chosen to fall tonight. It was unexpected, hence the absence of the newly bought trench coat to cover him up. The icy cold weather slinks through the thickness of his leather jacket and pants, threatening to sift through his flesh and reach his bones.

It can try doing that. Ten would love to see it shake him up.

The LED sign just above his head flickers a few times. Ten remains in his position, undeterred by the freezing cold and the intermittent pop of darkness where he lurks.

A subtle widening of his eyes is the only movement in his facial features when he spots the one he’s been waiting for, exiting one of the delivery vans. Moon Taeil gets out of the shotgun and holds up a clipboard, writing down as a few other men take out boxes and boxes of shipments, bringing them inside through one of the entrances of the HQ.

He can’t hear anything from where he’s at. He can’t even see clearly, but his eyes focus on Moon Taeil and Moon Taeil only. Ten has no intentions of infiltrating Garnet. He just wants to know the mystery behind Taeil’s survival from Dragonaire.

The former assistant can’t be out of the HQ that day. That period was critical with the redhead being hunted by the enemy – Lee Namgyu would need him most during those times, especially that Dragonaire was coming for Garnet at the same time.

“Can’t fucking get you at the moment, you know?” Ten mumbles, flicking the ash against the wall, sniffing and rubbing his nose with a knuckle. “You have these,” Waving a hand resignedly, the redhead chuckles. “These deadly people around you. Wish they were weaklings like Dragonaire that I could take down alone. Just wait for me.” He pushes himself with a foot off of the wall and walks out of the vicinity as quick as he can with no specific place to go to.

It’s only 11 in the evening. He doesn’t need to sleep. He doesn’t need to conspire with himself about what to do to Invictus. They’re done for. Jung Jaehyun had tasted his defeat too soon for Ten’s liking. And right now he only needs to observe Moon Taeil and come up with a plan of when and where to take the latter for some creative interrogation.

He’s been walking for an hour, just trying to commit all of this to his memory just in case he needs to go back to a place where he doesn’t belong. France is where he came from, but the memories of it are not enough to make him feel like it’s his place. Ten knows he belongs nowhere. People like him doesn’t fit in anywhere except for the blinding, boring white rooms of a mental facility where he’s going to be locked up every second of the day. That’s where he belongs.

But it’s not thrilling. He can’t kill there once he’s wearing that straitjacket. He can’t even hurt people. They will nip his nails and strap him down the bed and gag him. The only time he will be able to inflict pain is once the silence finally gets to him and he bangs his head against the wall one, two, three, a hundred times until his skull cracks open and blood runs down the tiles. He will die by then. It’s boring. Very uneventful.

He doesn’t belong anywhere. For the meantime, while he can’t close up on Taeil, he has to find something worthwhile to do, to waste his time with.

He passes by a cemetery. Memories of digging through Kim Jaeseok’s grave flicker in his head. Ten dumps what is probably his fifth stick of the night; he can’t remember, he isn’t counting, and enters a club ten minutes away from the Gambetta neighborhood.

Without needing an ID to flash, Ten gets in and immediately stiffens at the amount of sweaty, loud immoralists. Regret. That’s what he instantly feels. Disgust and abhorrence soon follow, quickly growing in his chest and surging ‘til the tips of his fingers.

He just fucking triggered the desire to kill by getting into the crowd.

“Dumb episodes. They’re not entirely new.” The redhead brushes uncaringly past a group of women and takes a table at the far corner. A lady immediately tends to him, twirling a lock of hair as she boldly sits on his lap. No one reacts. It’s the most normal thing in their world at the moment.

“Hey…” Her lips, cherry red and sweet, stretch into a coquettish smile. Ten’s field of vision goes straight to the bouncy mounds on her chest, lewdly slipping out of her top with how low the neckline is.

His dick remains flaccid under the subtle rubbing of her ass over his crotch. She’s alluring, he admits. She’s captivating in the sexual way, but she’s not his type. He’ll bonk himself in the head if he lies to himself.

Ten keeps her there, lets her have her way. He pretends that the stickiness of her spit down his neck as she kisses on the exposed skin doesn’t irk him in the very least. Something tells him not to go, to remain in his seat to keep the woman on his lap. He hates the way she smells and the way her hands wander all over him, but a force tells him to bear with it.

A surprise awaits him.

Like a statue, the redhead sits still. Blue eyes are dark in the dim room, only seen when the flashy strobe lights hit the lines of his face. And when they do, he gets those stares he hates. He knows he’s being strange. There’s a luscious woman on his lap, practically offering herself to him but he makes no reaction. His face remains cold and stoned, eyes blank but shaky.

Heat churns in his chest. Ten’s hand fly to the sides of her waist, gripping. It forces a gasp out of her, mistaking his aggression for excitement. So she continues. She kisses up his throat and nibbles on his lobe, licking around the silver rings littering his ear. At some point her lips plant themselves on the corner of his mouth, and suddenly Ten knows why he let himself come inside the club.

It’s been ages since Kim Taejun’s head was ripped off by his own hands, and he needs another one to add on his mental list.

Screams of horror fill the room, louder than the blaring music as he slams her head on the steel edges of the table, repeatedly, gripping her face with both hands as he opens a crater on the top of her head. Blood spurts out, hitting his scarred yet enthralling face as he continues to bash the nameless woman’s skull on the concrete surface. Security is called, and when they try to pry him away from the corpse of the lady that was just kissing him a few minutes ago, Ten goes complete berserk.

With a swift, impactful punch he breaks one bouncer’s nose, headbutting him after. When the first one staggers out of balance, holding the injured appendage, Ten switches to the next bouncer. They can’t even fight him with their weights combined as he steals a beer bottle from one of the onlookers and smashes it right against the man’s temple. The bottle breaks, leaving the neck held tight in his hand and Ten stabs the man’s abdomen ten, merciless times until the victim splutters blood out of his mouth.

The club is in a complete chaos. People scramble to run out, avoiding the blood thirst in his gaze. Ten steps over the corpses of the woman and the second bouncer he just killed in cold blood murder, his shoes creating a series of squelches as he steps over the pool of blood.

He takes the knife carelessly left over the bar table, strapping it in his waistband. When he turns around, about to get out of the scene, a girl is shaking like a leaf at the corner, trying to hide her small frame as she talks on the phone in hushed whimpers.

“Calling the cops?”

She trembles harder at the sound of his voice. Only a few people are left and they’re surrounding the bodies on the floor. Probably friends of the bitch. Ten then faces the terrified girl and crouches next to her, his hand reaching out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Are you scared?” Ten smiles. It’s beyond scary and alarming, but she doesn’t move, scared of making the wrong choice. Besides, the sight of the blade tuck to his waistband screams at her as though taunting her to choose the wrong option and fight.

Fight. That’s what he wants her to do. He wants her to fight and resist and show that she’s not scared. Ten would love it. It’s only a shame that he won’t spare her.

“Give me that.” Ten opens his palm. She keeps her phone gripped tight, pressed against her chest as she squirms away with tears running down her cheeks.

Ten keeps the smile on his face. “I said – give me that. Come on. Don’t be shy.” His fingers curl, motioning her to do as he says.

But she’s stubborn, crying to let the cops know of what the killer is doing to her.

Impatience begins to make its presence known as Ten leans and rips the gadget out of her hand, ignoring her desperate cries as he pulls the knife out of its confines and plunges it deep in her chest, chuckling as she stares at him with dread, until the light in her eyes disappear.

Not satisfied with his work, Ten drags the blade down her torso, opening her up. The knife catches on to a few organs, and they tear with a gut-wrenching squelch until the knife reaches her abdomen. When almost all of her blood has spilled, Ten gets up, puts the knife back in his waistband and licks the crimson liquid off of his hand as he makes his way to the doors.

Though a siren has reached his ears and Ten whips around to find a police car nearing the club. Alarmed, the redhead rips off a part of his shirt and wraps it around the lower half of his face before sprinting, trying to dodge the bullets.

One hits him on the shoulder. Ten cries out, spits curses left and right as he fastens his legs. 

“God dammit!”

Ten grabs the knife, licks it under the makeshift mask before throwing it behind him with extreme accuracy as the blade pierces through the hand of one of the cops. The pained wail resonates in the cold December air.

Gunshot firing starts to wake the neighborhood and just as panic settles itself in his guts, Ten rounds a corner and hurriedly slips through the very narrow alley, disappearing into a shady street before the cops manage to tail him.

The shady area is devoid of civilians, except for one druggie hitting it at the bottom of a rusty stair, completely ignoring his presence. The sirens have stopped ringing in the background – the police probably gave up hunting down an impulsive club goer.

“Pieces of bullshit. This is why this fucking country is filled with assholes like Garnet and a fucking lot of them. Totally fucking run by criminals in the government.” For what reasons, it makes him laugh. He shouldn’t be afraid, realizing that half of their population is composed of crime families, and a nobody like him that doesn’t have an organization is the least of these puppet cops’ concern.

His blood drips on the snowy ground. A curse leaves his mouth and Ten kicks a layer of snow to cover the evidence, although the sight of a few drops of blood is normal in a place like this.

Dirty graffiti cover the walls of dingy houses. Ten trudges through the dark, stating to feel dizzy from the run, coupled with the bullet in his shoulder. It doesn’t look like a high caliber of bullet, based on the pain burning his arm. Or perhaps it didn’t hit deep.

Still, his hand can’t stop the blood from flowing. He drops on his knees before falling over, face planting on the snow.

Ten vaguely registers the door of an apartment to his right opening, and a woman comes over to flip him on his back.

“Are you o–Ten?” He knows that voice – that soft voice that turns sultry and coy when he’s around. How can he forget that? It bugged him to no end and until now, it makes him want to gouge out the eyes of the voice’s owner.

Azure eyes look up to meet a pair that even in the dim light of the area, Ten knows they’re of the brown shade. The redhead chuckles before gripping the woman’s arm.

“Quit fucking staring at me, Uehara. I’m sick of that shit you’ve been giving me. Come fucking help me up.”

She alerts someone from the apartment and a tall man, hair short wearing a coat comes out in panic hearing her voice. When he sees who’s lying in her arms, the man quickly pulls Ten up and drags him inside.

“Let me see your wound.” The gentle voice expected from a doctor rings in his head. Ten obediently bends forward, letting the expert check on the bullet. “It’s not deep. I can see it. Risa, stuff that cloth in his mouth.”

She nods, following the doctor as she takes the torn piece of shirt hanging off of his face and crumples it in a ball before shoving it in his mouth. Ten glares at her, weakly pushing her off as he slurs, trying to talk through the gag.

The man comes back with a few tools, sitting in front of him. Ten is forced to lie on his stomach on the couch after the jacket and the shirt was ripped off of his torso.

“This is going to hurt; you might pass out any sec.”

No shit, Sherlock. Ten mentally grouches, fighting the urge to spit the fabric out. He feels something hot and metallic prod inside his wound, and Ten grunts through the gag as whatever tool it is worms its way inside his flesh to clamp around the bullet. The redhead screams, voice muffled by the gag as the excruciating pain heightens as the bullet is pulled out.

It drops with a clatter in a bowl and Ten starts to slip in and out of consciousness, allowing the doctor to immediately wrap the gauze around his shoulder.

“The bleeding should stop soon – I’m sorry we lack the equipment, but that should do for now. Unless you want to be taken to a clinic.”

Ten grumbles as soon as Risa removes the gag. “No fucking way, you moron. The cops were right at my ass. People saw my face when I killed those irritating pieces of wet shit at the club.” She walks away, disappearing behind a wall divider and Ten is left with the doctor that possesses an uncanny resemblance to him. “If you take me there, I’ll fucking gut you and hang your intestines like fucking Christmas garland, Jaejoong.”

Kim Jaejoong, Red Phoenix’s on-call doctor shakes his head, totally used to the crass attitude of the redhead. He hands the tools he used to Risa who disappears yet again, and Ten shuts his eyes tight. Everything is hurting him at the moment.

“How the hell are you two alive?”

“Is that bothering you so much that you’d rather interrogate us than sleep? Don’t you feel fatigued?”

Grumbling again, Ten attempts to push himself up, bracing his weight on both hands before the pain shoots up his arm, rendering him immobile as he pitifully planks. “Aren’t you so fucking concerned about me, Jaej? Listen,” His head turns to the side so he can breathe deep, and looks at the doctor through one open eye. “God, you look so fucking soft! I’m not a kid!”

“You are Lee Namgyu’s son.”

“But I’m not– I’m not a fucking kid. Listen. I ain’t gonna repeat this I’m so fucking hurt right now.” Ten sniffles before pressing his mouth against the couch, his words coming out muffled and slurred. “Lee Namgyu is dead. Red Phoenix is gone.”

Jaejoong sighs, shrugging off. “I figured it out.”

“And I killed the rest of Dragonaire.”

“…They’re gone? All of them?”

“All of them.” His eyelids are getting heavier by the minute. Ten is a few seconds away from submitting to the strong pulls of slumber. “You know…”

The doctor’s brow rises. “I know what?”

What Jaejoong gets is a snore. Ten lies passed out on the couch just as Risa returns with a change of clothes. She stands dumbly on the side, staring at the injured man. “Should I put this on him now?”

“Might as well. He won’t wake up anyway.” Jaejoong gets off his seat and drags it back to the small table pressed against the wall. “It looks like he has a lot to say.”

“About what?” She sits on what little space remains on the couch and struggles to put the shirt on Ten, slightly glaring at the doctor who offers no help.

With a shrug to tell her he doesn’t know much, Jaejoong backs against the table, leaning on the edge. “When he wakes up tomorrow, we’ll know. It’s such…. It’s such a coincidence that he’s here, you know. It just doesn’t show, but I’m surprised, I wasn’t expecting this. Wasn’t he hiding that time when Red Phoenix was raided?”

“Yeah.” Risa says, quiet. She finishes dressing up the sleeping man with a huff, her head low while she mindlessly watches him with the little hint of attraction fired up in her eyes. Yet in the shadows of those flames, something else looms; something menacing. “I thought he was dead.”

If the doctor sensed the acid laced in that word, Risa hopes he won’t point it out.

“Obviously, he isn’t. And isn’t that great?” The enthusiasm of the doctor sets her off. “Once Garnet knows Red Phoenix’s heir is alive, they can help him rebuild it.”

“I don’t think so.”

Jaejoong frowns. “Why not? We have nowhere to go. Ten can he–“

She rises and walks past him, pausing on her tracks to glance at him over her shoulder. “I just think so.” Risa then enters one of the rooms, leaving the doctor alone to watch the redhead all night.

0o0o0

The edges of the newspaper crumple beneath the harsh grip of his hands. Jaehyun’s coal black eyes skim through the information about the recent murder at a club several minutes away from them. All of the details scream Ten Chittaphon. Unfortunately, there are no pictures. But witnesses have shared what they could remember about the appearance of the perpetrator: red hair, chiseled jaw, thick brows with a slit on the left one, and one of the ears is littered with earrings. The man was also shot on the shoulder by one of the cops, but successfully escaped.

“Escaped?” Jaehyun huffs. “Unbelievable. It’s either he’s inhumane or they’re just lazy. Probably both.”

“What is it?” Doyoung sits on one of the swivel chairs, placing his hot mug of coffee on the desk. The newspaper is tossed to his lap and he quickly goes over the news, brows raised. “Impressive.”

“Really impressive. It’s because no one’s going to chain him down like a rabid dog.” Jaehyun pads to the kitchen and grabs the plate of toast and his coffee, curtly thanking the woman preparing their breakfast. She looks so much like her son with her hair tired into a braid as it flows down her back. Jaehyun doesn’t know what to feel.

When he returns to his seat, he catches her eyes on him but they quickly avoid his own, focusing on finishing the rest of the plates. The others are yet to get out of bed with no concrete plans for the day.

Doyoung rolls the newspaper and taps it against his palm, creating a rhythm. “So what now, are you going to call your father?”

“He must be waiting for my report, but I don’t have anything to say, Doyoung. If we’re going back there empty-handed, might as well bomb the jet on our way to avoid his wrath. Believe me,” Jaehyun blows softly on the hot beverage and carefully takes a sip. “It’s not a pretty sight.”

He puts the mug down and fishes out a couple of business cards from his jeans. “We can’t afford a face-off with either Garnet or Casanov since their deal is done, but I made connections; they’re not as strong as those two but they must offer great deals too, I hope. To appease for the loss of that European expansion.”

Browsing through the cards, Jaehyun considers each one of them. Most of them offer the same services and products that Invictus can even supply on their own. He’s still very much bitter and angry about the whole thing regarding the proposals, but they need to move on. Invictus is still in need of connections. Besides, if he easily gives up, then Ten Chittaphon is going to win. It’s exactly what the crazy man wants to see – Jung Jaehyun losing.

He holds the last card, lips pursed in interest.

“This one holds an auction every month, selling men and women in affordable prices. Different nationalities. I guess we can bring these people home and put a higher value on their heads.”

“If they’re deemed worthy of those numbers.”

Jaehyun nods. “Then we’ll make sure of that. It’s time Invictus ventures into trafficking these people. It’s quite in demand.”

“Will it be local or are we catering to other countries? Given that we’re actually rooting for an international reputation.” Doyoung reminds, still tapping the newspaper on his palm.

“We’ll try to branch out. Let’s discuss that with my dad when we get back.” Jaehyun says and continues to eat his toast as Doyoung mumbles something about staying in his room.

It’s still early, a little past nine in the morning. Thinking about the lack of tasks for the whole day, Jaehyun feels irritated, glaring at the innocent mug. He hates doing nothing; it makes him feel useless.

Maybe he should contact this group holding an auction to confirm his attendance.

“Sir?”

He looks up as soon as Léonie stops next to him. “What is it?”

She hesitates, pinching the sides of her dress. Fear radiates off of her so strongly that Jaehyun quite pities the woman. He knows she doesn’t deserve his ill manners but he can’t help it. If he wants to get away from that person, then he needs to hide her. Although it was a mistake bringing her to France since her son is apparently in the country as well.

So sick how they keep meeting despite doing everything in his power to cut their ties.

“I don’t have time, Léonie.” Even his own blatant lie slaps him for spewing out such a shitty excuse. He has all the time in the world. “Say it.”

“I… I have a favor to ask from you, Sir Jung.”

His brow piques in wonder. “What is it?”

Léonie’s shaky eyes meet his and she puts a small, hopeful smile on her face, a far cry from the one she was sporting back in the HQ when he first saw her. She was quite radiant back then, like she didn’t experience one of the most horrifying things in the hands of Dragonaire. “When you’re not busy anymore, can you please help me?”

“Help you with what? I think you can just ask your friends in the cafeteria. If it’s not important, please ju–“

Jaehyun jerks in shock, the coffee almost spilling out of the mug from his sudden movement when she kneels down, looking despondent. “Léonie.”

“Sir,” She clasps her hands together, begging. He feels his walls crumble when he makes the mistake to look into her eyes and sees them well up, breaking. “I lost something… something very dear and precious to me. I tried to ask Mr. Heejun, but he wasn’t letting me finish. I don’t know who to ask.” Her voice breaks at the end and she clears her throat, eyes blinking rapidly to stop the moisture. “I’m not pressuring you; I know you are a busy person from the looks of it. But I can feel it… I can feel that you can help me.”

“What if I tell you that some things are not meant to be found? That they best stay hidden? The reason why you don’t find the things you are looking for is because they don’t want to be found.” He tries to discourage her. Jaehyun already knows what she’s talking about. And it’s not something, but someone.

The shake of her head proves how determined she is to look for Ten. “It’s my fault. I let it go and let it roll away, out of my grasp. I’m only trying my luck here, but if you think it’s trivial, then I understand.” She gets up and expresses her gratitude for his attention and makes her way back to the kitchen.

Jaehyun stares at her. If his mother was still alive, she was probably around the same age as Léonie. He can’t remember much about her, though. They weren’t close.

“If I find the time.”

She turns around, blue eyes full of hope.

“I’ll help you if I have time.”

His empty promise puts that radiant smile back on her face. Crow’s feet appear on the corners of her eyes and she practically glows, happy to have found a little strength. Jaehyun doesn’t know why he told her that. He knows for himself that he doesn’t want Ten in his life anymore.

But seeing her happy makes him feel light. It’s like a little portion of the burden he carries on his shoulders was lifted.

Maybe it’s the feeling you get when you know you make your mother happy.

0o0o0

“Good afternoon?”

His eyes feel so heavy, but he can’t go back to sleep anymore. There’s a heavy feeling settling in his guts and his head is pounding, forcing him to face the inevitable. So with all the reluctance in the world Ten allows a pair of arms to help him sit up without putting much pressure on his wounded shoulder. He’s been getting shot in the same arm; it’s starting to feel like it’s going to grow numb from pain soon.

“What makes you think it’s a good fuckin’ afternoon when I’m here, perpetually getting shot?”

The doctor shrugs and takes a seat on a small stool in front of the redhead. “That’s why it was a question. I was playing safe.”

The sarcasm irks him. “You make me sick.” Throat burning with a bubbling sensation on the base, Ten covers his mouth with a hand. “I swear to Jesus H. Christ, you already make me sick – and ironically you’re a doctor.”

Jaejoong’s lips purse tight and it looks like he’s trying not to laugh. It annoys Ten even more, wanting to kick the other but honestly, he’d rather save the energy for better things. Like watching someone he’s been observing. “Am I supposed to laugh? Is that a jest?”

“Up to you.” Ten tries moving his arm but the prickling heat of pain wakes from the sudden movement, flaming all over his shoulder blades and a part of his back. “I don’t control your mouth. You also could’ve just said ‘joke’ instead of ‘jest’ but you wanna play smart right when I just woke up.” His eyes roll so hard that it hurts. “Good fucking afternoon to me, indeed.”

“Abou–“

Ten puts a hand up. “You’re only allowed to speak medical jargons; at least that’s valid.”

The rudeness doesn’t make the doctor falter, adjusting his rimmed glasses that slowly slid down the bridge of his nose. “I don’t need to update you about your wound. I’ll let Risa clean it up for you later.”

Blue eyes shoot right at Jaejoong. “Speaking about that whore–“

“That’s rude of you, don’t you think?” Jaejoong’s head tilts a bit to the side, like he’s speaking to a child. The action further irritates Ten but he keeps it in; he’s done so much damage the other night that if he lets himself go again, it’ll be harder to brush it under the rug.

“I have the rights, okay? Do you know how many times that woman tried her chances?” The doctor appeases him, shaking his head. Ten sarcastically laughs. “No? Thought so. No experience, no opinion. Anyway,” They both hear the door to the bathroom hidden behind the wall creak open, but neither pay attention. “I can clean it on my own. If you two get your hands on me again I will rip them off.” Ten makes a show of biting down nothing, flashing his set of teeth at the other man. “See? Top quality canine. Don’t test me.” His eyes provoke, contradicting his words.

Right then, the Japanese woman shows up in fresh, clean clothes – a simple shirt and a skirt that ends just above her knees, a far cry from how she usually dressed up back in the HQ – clearly just finished showering.

Ten blankly stares at her.

“Oh, you’re up!”

She’s so loud that it almost makes him mad. He’s mad. But she’s being insufferable that he can be even madder than he already is.

“Yeah,” Ten says offhandedly. “I didn’t know that.” Looking down, he finally notices that he’s wearing something that he knows isn’t his. His eyes slowly climb up to the doctor’s face, scowling.

“I have to redress his bandage, Jaejoong.”

“Please do that.”

Ten looks between them. “You’re on a first name basis? Cool. Fucking?” He sounds nonchalant, like the question was meant to be taken lightly, like asking if two people were getting it on was an everyday thing.

Risa has the decency to look offended, giving him a look of indignant disbelief. “Ten! You know I like you!”

His lips curve downwards and he shrugs, forgetting his bad shoulder. Ten ignores the burn. “Could’ve fooled me. Doc here could pass off as my brother, unfortunately. Also, don’t come near me, Uehara.” Risa instantly backs off. “I was serious when I said I’d feed your heart to the dogs. There must be a lot of strays here.” Just as he says that, an indistinct bark of a dog comes from the outside. Ten snorts.

“That’s so grotesque and cruel, you know that?”

“I do.” Ten’s leg folds on the couch while the other feet remain on the floor as he slouches. “Listen. You got cigs? Candy? I’m gonna fucking convulse.” It doesn’t show yet, but Ten already feels the foreboding nuisance brought by his random tics.

The doctor reprimands him with that patient tone. “That’s bad for your health.”

Kim Jaejoong is getting on his nerves! Can’t the other stop acting like a damn parent? Ten throws him a menacing glare – blue eyes burning in the middle of icy cold December. “Shut the fuck up, Jaej or I’ll sew that mouth shut. You sound like some…” Ten’s hand waves aimlessly in the air as though to emphasize his words. “Like some straightedge I know.”

Learned the hard way when she got too close to the redhead, Risa chooses to grab a stool and places it next to Jaejoong, sitting in front of Ten instead. When she speaks, she looks like she’s mocking. “Someone? You have no friends.”

“Fuck you, Uehara. You’re stupid and you think you know me after trying to cup my dick once?”

The vulgar remark doesn’t even faze her. “Huh? So you do have friends? And please,” The woman stresses with such lofty cadence. “I’m not that stupid. I’m higher than a Bronze card, remember?”

The exchange apparently bores the doctor, but he makes no move in doing something else.

“How should I know?” Ten’s fingers begin to flittingly twitch. Risa notices. “I don’t give a shit about you and shame on you, doc.” The redhead points his attention on the other man without any hint of emotion on his face. “A diamond hanging out with this.” Ten makes sure that he laces the word with palpable disgust.

And even so, it doesn’t manage to make the woman back down. “I’ll let you insult me anytime, Ten. Just give me that kiss.” She audaciously bats her eyes, trying to look attractive enough. She looks decent; Ten has to give her that.

But she’s not anywhere near as inviting as Ju–

“Fuck right off. If I wasn’t injured I’d be strangling your neck by now.”

A sigh comes from the third party tangled in their childish bickering. “Give him the gauze. Let him redress if he can.”

Ten looks away, particularly on the closed door as Risa gets up to get what the doctor told her. She comes back soon with the roll of bandage and reaches out to hand it to Ten who rips it out of her, leaving her with a sour expression.

Without anyone offering their help, Ten struggles to get off the shirt he’s wearing but manages to do so a few grunts and curses later. He tears the tape off attaching the bandage to his skin and carelessly pulls the dressing off his torso, hissing when the bloodied part pulls on the damaged skin around his wound.

No one from the pair does or says anything when Ten begins attempting to redress himself. They watch him with a bored expression while he rolls and unrolls the bandage over his shoulder, and Jaejoong even lets Ten see him dramatically check his watch for the time.

“God dammit!” The bandage rolls on the floor as the redhead gives up. “My shoulder fucking hurts, Jaej. Shouldn’t you be offering some help to the needy?” He bends a little forward, trying to control the worsening tics of his hands.

Jaejoong sighs tiredly, picking up the gauze. “Right.” The doctor wordlessly dresses the bandage around the wound, wrapping the rest of his around Ten’s shoulders to keep the bandage intact. “So about last night. You wanted to say something.”

The clenched fist had lodged between Ten’s teeth to be bitten down, as he usually does to keep himself from convulsing further. “I was in and out of consciousness, doc. You poked my wound, remember? Sadistic asshole.” Ten lets the man put the shirt back on him without a fight.

“I’ll have you know I don’t find enjoyment in my patients’ suffering.” Jaejoong returns to his seat, pleased with his work on the redhead.

“Yaddah yaddah, fuck that. You really make me sick. Listen, Risa.” He turns to the woman who forces a look of delight on her face. Something snaps in Ten’s head, but he keeps it down. “If you don’t give me that cig, I’ll crush this man’s bones.” He points openly at Jaejoong. “It’s like classical music to me.”

Without a choice and knowing that Ten Chittaphon doesn’t bluff, Risa disappears in a room, fetching an already open pack of cigarettes for him.

Soon, puffs of smoke float in the small space of the living room, but his twitches are yet to stop. “Alright. Last night. Let me remember…” Blue eyes stare up the ceiling, widening a bit shortly after. “Oh yeah. So I killed Dragonaire’s lousy ass leader–“

Risa interjects – eyes hard and posture stiff. “You did? H-how? You were outnumbered.” Her face speaks volumes, revealing that she wasn’t expecting Ten Chittaphon to live – and that she didn’t want him to.

The tip of his tongue pokes on the pocket of his cheek in irritation. “How did you fucking know that? You weren’t there when I fought them. You both got away?” His eyes switch between the two in front of him as the atmosphere changes – that moment when one knows something’s not right. So Ten keeps his eyes on her but makes sure they don’t look too intimidating so as not to scare her off.

Her expression falters, lips trembling as she flashes an awkward smile while rubbing the back of her neck, her eyes shaking while trying to pin them elsewhere. “…Well, I heard people talking to someone at the back entrance. That’s how I know Red Phoenix was in danger.” She then quickly changes her expression, putting up something akin to faint fear.

“Someone. Care to spill?”

Ten Chittaphon takes note of how her eyes darken as they meet his. Next to her, Jaejoong remains quiet.

“Moon Taeil.”

So he’s right. Moon Taeil definitely did something behind Red Phoenix. It was impossible that a smart man like him wouldn’t be deemed important to Dragonaire when the lame squad was taken away for their advantage. “Okay,” Ten sucks deep from the stick, huffing out the smoke through the corner of his mouth. “I saw him at the gala. You know – that annual gala Garnet organizes.”

“What were you doing there?” The fear returns to her face, as well as starting signs of poorly hidden panic.

“Wouldn’t you like to know? But for your curiosity, I was bored. I wanted to see what Lee Namgyu used to enjoy when he was still alive.” He won’t tell her the truth why he was there. Ten would like to see another mystery unravel itself right before him.

She grips the sides of the stool as she tries to keep herself calm. Ten almost wants to laugh. The woman can’t act to save her life. “Did you… did you two talk? Did he say something about me?” Nervousness slips from her lips and Ten stores the suspicious vibe in the back of his mind.

“Why would he talk about you?” Flicking the ash, Ten continues with a condescending tone. “Who do you think you are, Uehara? And no. We didn’t meet. He was out of my sight before I could approach.”

The cigarette is gone from how fast he inhaled it, so Ten lights up a new one. He could care less if they die from secondhand smoking. “So why are you two here? Don’t get me wrong, but fuck you if you want, I don’t expect anything different from you two, I don’t give a shit – I’m just surprised at this coincidence.” 

Jaejoong straightens in his seat. “Ri–“

“We wanted to get away.” The Japanese woman interjects, voice a little high pitched. “Dragonaire was scary, you know. And Paris… is pretty, right, Jaejoong?”

Ten stares at her side profile as she turns to the doctor who remained quiet with an unreadable expression.

“Well, what the fuck ever your reason is. I’m curious about that former assistant. Why the hell he’s suddenly working for Garnet.”

The thought of Invictus losing the deal without even talking to Fort yet knocks on Ten’s memories. He almost forgot about it. The horror on Jung Jaehyun’s face confirmed that the other had no clue about it – that someone else had gotten the proposals faster than them.

“You got computer?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Get it. I have something to show you.”

Risa grabs a bag from the small dining table and pulls out a laptop, quickly turning it on.

Ten cocks his head to the side, the cigarette stick dangling between his lips. “Open up Red Phoenix’s mails. Retrieve the deleted ones.”

“For what? Those will need codes…”

A frown etches on his mouth. “You think I don’t know? Fucking bitch. Do it.”

It takes a minute or two of her fingers pressing over the keys as she racks her brain for the codes to enter. A new window pops up on the screen and Ten motions her to show it to him. “Now what?” Risa looks clueless.

“Find the one with the deactivated recipient account. Download the content.”

She doesn’t move right away, staring at Ten for a few seconds. He can clearly see that she wants to make an alibi for something, but he isn’t very much certain about it yet. He wants her to be the one to let it slip.

When Ten doesn’t break the eye contact, Risa goes back to work, finding the account instantly. The fake shock dancing in her eyes as the proposals were downloaded vexes him.

“These are Red Phoenix proposals…”

Ten nods, watching her light trembling hands. “You can explain that?”

“He was… he was talking to Dragonaire about Garnet when I heard him before he told them that ‘everyone’s in your hands now’. He most likely backstabbed Red Phoenix, sending these proposals to them in exchange of something… like making him their second-in-command?”

Her acting had improved even just for a bit and if Ten was a pushover, he’d believe her in an instant. “I wonder why you’re just a Silver-rate. Imagine seeing only this one deactivated account, not even locating its server, and deducting that Taeil’s the one behind the transfers.”

The laugh that comes out of her is forced. Even Jaejoong can tell. Of course, he can tell.

“Hah… You underestimate me, Ten!” 

“…Maybe. So you think he passed this to Dragonaire first? Come to think of it. They were really brave trying to reach out to Garnet. You know when I was cutting Kim Jaeseok?”

A shiver runs up her spine at the image even if she didn’t exactly witness it. She can picture the bloodcurdling scene each time she blinks.

“He didn’t wanna say shit about their proposal. Fucking bastard. It’s actually Red Phoenix’s.”

Jaejoong gives Risa a side glance. “That’s so complicated.”

The doctor’s comment earns him a grunt from the redhead. “Keep it to yourself. You’re useless right now. Back to the topic,” Frustration seeps into Ten’s bones as he runs a hand through his messy hair. “Stop interrupting me, alright. I’ll cut you both. So Dragonaire couldn’t reach Garnet. When their heir was murdered, it probably halted their plans. They’re gone now. I killed Taejun. It’s safe to say Moon Taeil went here by himself to pass the proposals to Garnet in exchange of working for them. Seeing that he’s a product inspector, Fort didn’t give him much.”

“So he has an org and we don’t. That’s…infuriating. Imagine being a member of Garnet.” Feigned sadness sketches all over her body language and Ten wants to grab her jaw to slam the back of her head against the wall and watch a waterfall of redness spill and make a puddle on the floor. He has always wanted to do that, only managing to stop himself because he was forbidden to inflict pain outside of the torture chamber in the HQ.

“I don’t give a fuck if he has an org and we don’t. I gotta talk to Garnet. They’re housing a fucking snake.” Ten grates the butt of the cigarette on the ash tray next to the couch. “Uehara, buy me candies, disposable lenses and hair dye. Get the one close to caramel.”

Assuming that Ten doesn’t want to talk about the mails anymore, the woman puts the laptop back in the bag with a confused frown. “But why? I like your hair color now. Who did that? And what are the lenses for?”

“Listen.” His hand cups his wounded shoulder gently, lightly drumming his fingers on it to test how much pain surges down his arm with minimal pressure applied. “I killed two people and injured one last night. People saw my face so I gotta have a little disguise somehow and I don’t give a shit about what you like, alright? Jung Jaehyun dyed it.”

He ignores the blatant irritation that wafts out of her, caging her whole aura like a dark balloon. “He was rude to me one time.”

“Tch. Surely that shouldn’t bother you when I’m here.”

“Is he alive?”

Ten’s head tilts as he searches through her brown irises. “They’re all dead. Now go buy all those shit before you start disgusting me.” He lifts his butt slightly and delves a hand in his back pocket, pulling out a card and slapping it on her waiting hand. He suddenly remembers that he left all of his things in the hotel so with half a heart he also gives her his keycard. The hotel’s name is embedded on it in plain lettering style. “Go to this hotel too. Get my clothes. Bring all my stuff. If you open the bag, I’ll know and you won’t like it.”

“So much work you’re making me do, Ten. Don’t think this is all for free. What’s in it for me?” She squints at the credit card, mouthing the bank’s name.

Ten’s nose scrunches before he sniffs and waves a dismissive hand at Risa. “You’ve gotten greedy. I still have something to ask later. Now go.”

She doesn’t say more, mistaking Ten’s words for a chance to get something out of him and eagerly goes out to do her errands after changing into warmer clothes.

The door closes softly and Jaejoong gets up, saying something about making food but Ten blocks his way with a leg, his blank face that exudes danger more than a terrifying glare forces the doctor to a halt. “Sit the fuck down, Jaej.”

Beating around the bush is not his style, so Ten gets straight to it knowing that Risa is out of earshot. “I want you to tell me the truth. I don’t give a shit if you vibe with me or not, but if you lie to me, you won’t be getting out of here. I’ll know if you’re lying.”

Jaejoong gulps an invisible lump. “What is it?”

“Why are you two here,” The statement, leaving no room for an excuse lets the doctor know that he will never get his way out with a poor alibi.

Still, he tries. “Risa already to–“

The older man jerks in surprise, taken aback by Ten’s actions as the latter bolts right out of the couch and stalks off to the kitchen, pulling out a knife from the rack. “I’m not going to repeat myself.”

A statue – That’s what Kim Jaejoong looks like at the moment as he tries to keep the gnawing fear from manifesting out of him. Ten wanted to laugh, to find a little bit of amusement in the situation but the thought that he never saw this coming, which he let insignificant people take advantage of things that do not belong to any of them aggravates him, triggers him.

Peaceful was his life in Red Phoenix – hidden, silent, routinely. As much as he doesn’t care about the organization, Ten Chittaphon hates liars the most, opportunists taking credit for things that aren’t theirs.

“Risa… Risa begged me to help her follow Moon Taeil. She said that if I do, she’d let me join them both. They were conspiring. Taeil betrayed her. They were supposed to be in the scheme together. I… I don’t know if they had a discord, but when she contacted him some time later, he said he was already here. That’s all. When we got to Garnet, Taeil lied and told that the security that we were trespassers and he didn’t know us. We didn’t get a chance to talk to anyone inside. We lost our cards while running away from Dragonaire. Listen, Ten,”

The doctor leans against the wall, most likely failing to contain his fear. The knife is still in Ten’s hand and it taps right against his thigh as a comical hum fall from his lips.

“I just got tangled in their mess. Dragonaire was going to kill everyone that day. Moon Taeil didn’t save Risa from what it seemed. She promised me we’d be safe here but now we’re in a stalemate. We thought Dragonaire still exists, so we couldn’t fly back.”

If Ten was a fool, he’d assume that Kim Jaejoong ran a marathon from how breathless he is after spilling the truth. He still doesn’t know why Moon Taeil turned his back against Lee Namgyu but the information he managed to gather today is enough.

Pitying the doctor, Ten puts the knife away and flashes an eerie grin at the other. “Everyone is fucking hungry for power, status and control, no? Don’t let her know that I know.”

Jaejoong only hangs his head low while trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart. Ten can’t blame him. When someone from Red Phoenix finds him holding a blade, it’s a message that they should not get anywhere near him – because anyone could be a candidate for his next victim.

“Aww, Jaej. Chill. I’m not gonna bite you. See when you don’t get in my nerves for cooperating? You get to live.” Ten taps the man’s shoulder before walking over to the fridge, rummaging it for some food. “Act normal when she comes back, alright? I still need that bitch’s help.”

***

“Here’s the dye.”

Ten catches the box and reads through the instruction, the lollipop candy poking against his cheek. “Don’t get in the bathroom.” He turns and makes way to start dyeing his hair, only for a hand to grasp his good arm.

“I can he–“

The sound of his hand slapping Risa’s away resonates in the whole living room. Jaejoong looks up from browsing a medical book, witnessing the shock and hurt all over the woman’s face.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Her voice trembles while she presses her hand against her chest.

Ten ignores her in lieu of locking himself up in the bathroom.

She stomps to the couch, childishly crossing her arms over her chest with a glare pinned on the indifferent doctor sitting by the counter. “I hate men.”

Jaejoong doesn’t look up. “I’m sure they have a reason why they make you hate them.”

“Asshole.”

It’s exactly 40 minutes later when Ten comes out, patting over his head with a towel. The color doesn’t come off when he finally rubs the fabric on his hair, and Ten tosses it over the backrest of the chair at the kitchen before running a hand through the still damp strands.

“Gosh…” She openly gushes over him as though he didn’t slap her away like a pest earlier. “You look so good. I like you more with your natural hair color.”

The knife thrower keeps mum as he leans against the wall, one foot propped on it as his hand slips inside the pocket of his jeans. The other hand fidgets with the bitten lollipop stick, the candy long gone. “I want you to do something for me.”

“I can give you a lap dance. Is that what you want?”

They hear a snort coming from the other man but when Risa glances at the doctor, his face is blocked by the medical book he’s been reading.

“Far from that.” The stick finds its way back in Ten’s mouth, chewed under sharp teeth. “I need knives and a gun. Bullets, of course.”

She stiffens for a second before the expression on her face morphs into curiosity. “For what reason?”

Ten bites half of the stick, chewing on it before spitting it out. It lands on the floor with a thin sheen of saliva. “Taeil deserves something for betraying Red Phoenix, right?”

Relief washes over her in the form of a small smile on her red, supple lips. “Ah, yes. Correct.”

This pathetic bitch can’t fucking act. “You know where I can get some?”

“Yes.” He takes the instant answer as an eagerness to get her revenge on Moon Taeil through him. “A second-rate local group handles firearms, as well as human trafficking. Venandi. “

“Nice working as an intel, huh.” Ten pushes himself off the wall and snatches the book Jaejoong’s reading. The doctor can only let out a sigh. “You know a lot. I wonder why Taeil didn’t ask someone to remove the account from the system. Was it impossible? Maybe he wasn’t good enough?”

“I guess…” Her voice lowers, before she quickly changes her mood, now all too smiley. “He was just an assistant anyway! That explains it.”

The caramel-head nods, tired of her bullshit. He needs to plan when to take her down after Moon Taeil. “Take me to Venandi tomorrow. I need to get to Garnet ASAP.”

“What are you gonna tell them?”

A smirk finds its way on his face. “Just about Taeil’s little hiss- hiss escapades. Wanna see him get kicked out. That’s all.”

“Ah, alright.” She reeks of deviousness that Ten’s stomach churns in revulsion. “You should take some rest. Let’s go there together.”

“Fine. Now fuck off.” He chases her away from the couch. “You make me wanna throw up.”

***

The cab pulls over in front of a five-floor building. Ten alights from the vehicle without waiting for the woman with him and walks up to the entrance, only to be blocked by security.

“Purpose?”

“Guns and blades.” Risa catches up to him.

The French man gives him a once over before asking for any identity card, to which Ten presents him his passport. It’s the standard process with every mafia group when a smalltime client, especially walk-ins attempts to enter the headquarters’ premises. 

Risa Uehara shows an ID as well and leads the knife thrower inside. They approach a desk clerk to ask for the product distributors’ office, and the two take an elevator to get to the third floor. Ten stands by the door, eyes boring on her reflection. She doesn’t take a step closer near him.

When they exit the elevator, a man speaks through his Bluetooth earpiece, confirming a client’s arrival before scanning his palm to unlock the door. Risa gets in first with the caramel-head in tow.

“Kai.”

Ten looks at her through his periphery, wondering why she knows the Venandi man’s name. Only then does he notice the plate on the desk.

How bold of this bitch to address a second-rate mobster by his name alone. She’s asking to get shot if she tries it on stricter groups.

The distributor, Kai, regards them with indifference. He gives off a serious, yet cunning vibe with his shoulder-length hair slicked back to allow his attractive face out in the open. The black cardigan accentuates his broad shoulders as the band of his black pants hug his waist perfectly. “We can only produce the materials right away if they’re onhand. Higher calibers are still on the way with the shipment.”

Not bothering to switch to French, Ten keeps up with the conversation in English. “I need a gun. If you’re generous with the bullets I’d appreciate it. Two body holsters with knives, two leg straps.”

“Alright.” Kai gets out of his desk and curls a finger. “Follow me.”

They enter another room connected to the distributor’s office. It’s the storage room for onhand materials organized in racks and shelves. Kai leads the way to the very back where guns sit on a metal stand attach to the wall.

“Do you want to choose or should I recommend the best-selling handguns?”

Ten clicks his tongue as he scans the row of firearms ranging from old to latest model. “I don’t need special shit. Anything that puts a bullet between the eyes works for me. There,” He points to a gun in the middle. “Looks sick. I want that.”

“Kel-Tec PMR-30. Good choice if you put attention to light weight and durability. It’s rare in the market now with it being claimed the deadliest back in 2017. It holds 30 rounds in a single mag.” Kai juggles the empty gun in one hand, tossing it to Ten for the customer to check. “Semi-automatic. Just 14-ounces compared to Glock 17 weighing 22 unloaded since it’s made out of polymers. Ambidextrous babe with the magazine releasing at the heel. If you’re targeting at night there’s an attachment to the under-barrel rail for lasers.” The distributor smirks, never once glancing at the woman standing behind the caramel-head. “Only drawback is the amount of recoil.”

“Don’t care about that. I can hit anywhere I want. I’ll get this. Give me 60 rounds.”

“Alright.” Kai takes the gun out of Ten’s hand and slips it in its holster before taking them to the other side of the room where he slips the gun in a bag together with the bullets Ten requested. He works quickly as he gathers long straps already filled with daggers as well as the legs holsters, folding them neatly before stuffing them in a separate bag, handing them to Ten wordlessly.

They head to another desk where a man with a nametag reading L mans the payment. Ten slaps the card down the desk and L raises a brow, swiping the credit card and handing Ten the receipt, which the blue-eyed man crumples and tosses to the side. L’s face sours but he doesn’t say anything as he puts the bags in one carrier.

“Is that all you need?” Risa asks.

“Name?” L looks up at Ten. Risa looks in between the two men, eyes a little wide as she mumbles something that sounds a lot like ‘kinda resemble each other…’

“Ethan Lee.”

Confusion writes itself on Risa’s face. “Ethan?”

Ten places his passport on the desk for L to register his name on the computer, probably for security and record matters. He takes it as soon as the other’s done entering his name and slips it back to his trench coat’s pocket.

“You’re registered now. All clients have to undergo that.”

“I know that, alright? I know all do’s and don’ts; you don’t need to orient me like a fuckin’ newbie.”

L’s eyes roll so hard that Kai snorts from his own desk. “Cool. Come back when you need more.”

Ten leads himself out of the office, not bothering to see if the woman’s following. Risa approaches Kai’s desk, leaning over to whisper in his ear, red lips brushing ever so lightly on the lobe.

“You know what we talked about on the phone last night.”

“Got it.”

She leaves him a sultry smile, sending a wink to the other man in the room before scurrying off with a little bounce to her steps, catching up to the knife thrower.

0o0o0

The cigarette flattens under the strong press of his boot on the asphalt. Ten stands on his previous spot near the wall of the dingy motel close to Garnet’s HQ, just waiting for the right moment to approach. He catches no sign of Moon Taeil for the past two hours. The man is probably out to get new shipments.

Running out of patience, Ten Chittaphon slips a hand subtly beneath his shirt to pull at the holster, tightening the daggers against his body. His shoulder is still in the process of healing so he hopes that he doesn’t start a fight with anyone today or else it’ll be a pain in the butt when his wound reopens. He really can’t afford to stain his expensive trench coat with his own blood. It’s a different story if it’s someone else’s.

He crosses the road, empty of civilians. At the back of his mind he thinks of the imminent bankruptcy the motel is going to inevitably face due to the lack of tourists and Parisians around the shady area.

Who even starts up a business in front of a mafia HQ? Tch. As if they know it’s Garnet right in front of them.

Very bold of Garnet to even build their HQ where they can be easily seen. It only proves that to be able to be this fearless, connections to the government authorities are made.

Ten already expects the security to stand in front of the gates. He glances at the CCTV at the corner and buttons his coat close. “I need to speak to Fort.” He gets right to it in English, noticing that the guard is a foreigner.

“Who are you? He didn’t leave a name to us if someone’s arriving.”

“So he’s there. Good. Tell him it’s from Red Phoenix.”

“Red Phoenix,” The guard scoffs. “Two people also came here claiming to be from Red Phoenix but was denied access. Can’t you choose something lesser known, kid?”

His hand trembles lightly. Ten keeps the urge at bay. “Does a 26 year-old man look like a kid to you, sir?” Ten puts a weight on the address, smirking. “Give him a call. Tell him someone’s waiting.”

The guard looks skeptic as he connects to the office of the Kingpin. “Sir Fort needs your name.”

“Ten Chittaphon.”

The guard immediately reports to the boss, shaking his head as he turns to Ten. “Boss knows no Ten Chittaphon from Red Phoenix.”

“Is that so? Tell him it’s Ethan Lee.”

“Are you shitting me now–“

“Tell him it’s Ethan Lee, before I blow your brains out and eat it right in front of your friend here.” The knife thrower turns his head to the side, blank eyes staring at the second guard.

The guard talking to Fort grits his teeth before following the order, avoiding Ten’s threat. Even if they don’t know who he is, he gives off an aura that he’s capable of doing what he just said, and a whole lot more. They must have noticed that he’s different.

“Really, sir? Alright.” Ten smirks as they open the gates, a sound beeping temporarily as he enters. The same guard is the one that leads him in front of the Kingpin’s office, and Ten flips him off before barging in without much preamble but a single knock.

The man who held a gala a few nights ago sits behind an elegant, mahogany desk. The office is twice bigger than Lee Namgyu’s, filled with ancient paintings and gold curtains to drape over ceiling-high windows. The plush, burgundy carpet softens the thud of his footsteps as he stops right before Garnet’s Kingpin.

This time, both men wear no masks to hide their faces.

“Ethan Lee. Lee Namgyu’s heir. I didn’t expect that I’d live to see the day you’re standing before me.”

The man still exudes power and class even as he wears nothing to hide his face from a stranger. And even in his age, 30s and young, he’s the icon of feared authority.

“Not gonna lie, alright. I’m surprised that you’re aware of my existence considering how hell-bent that sorry excuse of a bastard was in hiding his first born.” His blue eyes, covered with dark contact lenses dart over to the plush chair by the side of the desk and he sits on it, not caring for pleasantries and common courtesy.

Fort smiles, obviously liking his candor. “Lee Namgyu was an important business partner. I always connect with them in a more personal level. Let’s get to business, Ethan.”

“Call me Ten. You’re Korean, aren’t you?”

“Right. Ten. I was told that Red Phoenix didn’t want to have anything to do with us. What is their second-in-command doing here?”

Ten dismisses him with a wave. “Don’t call me that; it makes me feel important when I’m not even a member of the board. I’m here because,” he drawls, staring at Garnet’s Kingpin. “You were ignoring Red Phoenix’s mails.”

Fort chuckles, shaking his head. He turns sideways on his swivel chair, fingers tapping lightly on the desk. “I could’ve sought them out for the sudden contract termination, but they generously offered me their projects, which I have successfully closed with Casanov, if you are unaware. It seems like Red Phoenix had stopped operating? Personal reasons, according to a reliable source that is now working for me.”

“Tell me it’s your new product inspector.”

“Moon Taeil?” Fort asks with a lilt of amazement in his tone. “He’s previously from Red Phoenix. How did you know?”

Ten scowls, crossing a leg over the other. “You’re more powerful than anyone else here. You should’ve known better, but that’s expected when you’re blinded by money when presented with it. You’re still a businessman after all. I’ll have you know,” Leaning forward with elbows on his thighs, Ten finally relays the truth that Garnet surprisingly did not bother to dig. “Moon Taeil partnered up with Dragonaire. You heard of them, right? They tried to talk to you?” The Kingpin nods. “They’re a Korean third-rate org and Moon Taeil partnered up with them for unknown reasons, going against Lee Namgyu. Dragonaire was burned to ashes. He initially gave the proposals to them but now that they’re gone, he used the proposals to join you. And you allowed him without knowing that your strongest Korean associate disappeared in a snap. Red Phoenix had been betrayed. Lee Namgyu is dead.”

The smile on Fort’s face disappears, replaced with a frown and darkness. It practically reeks off of him that Ten could cut through it with a knife.

“…Is that so? Then Moon Taeil does not deserve a place here in Garnet.” Even as the Kingpin manages to talk with a steady tone, his voice drips with venom and threat.

“You easily believe things, don’t you?”

“It makes sense.” Fort snarls, pounding a fist on the desk. “And you are Ten Chittaphon, Red Phoenix’s heir. Why wouldn’t I believe you?”

Ten scoffs at the blatant praise. “You really shouldn’t trust me, of all people.”

“But you’re telling me the truth. Are you here to take the projects back? I believe it is just. It’s your organization’s property.”

“No.” The knife thrower stands up, hands hidden in his pockets. “I don’t give a shit about rebuilding Red Phoenix and keeping its customers. Just kick Moon Taeil out of Garnet.”

Fort stands, towering several inches over Ten. “As you wish.”

He turns around, ready to go but halting abruptly when he remembers something. “And one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“I want you to recruit a doctor. I don’t care if you need another one in the medical team, but in exchange of using Red Phoenix’s proposal to collaborate with Casanov, I want you to take Kim Jaejoong in, the only Red Phoenix member I will acknowledge. For now.”

Garnet’s Kingpin gives a single nod, agreeing to the fallen organization’s heir’s request surprisingly quick. “Wish granted. Anything for you.”

Ten smirks, pleased at how actually easy it is to deal with Garnet.

“Let’s not see each other again, Yunho.”

If the Kingpin wants to ask how Ten knows his real name, the caramel-head wouldn’t be able to fill him with the answer as he had already left the place even before Fort could react. Though even if he stays to hear the question, the only answer he could give is he knows. Ten will always know all of it, will always get what he wants – one way or another. 

Without a glance he walks out through the same gate earlier, flipping a middle finger at the guard. It’s still an hour before midnight and he won’t return to the apartment without making sure Moon Taeil will be out of Garnet by the time the latter comes back. Ten briskly walks across the road, sharp eyes already pinned on the same spot he mentally claimed to be his corner. Moon Taeil should be back soon – and Ten needs to execute his plans well.

He's about to make a turn to the right when he spots a van that just parked several meters away from Garnet’s HQ. Ten stops walking as Jung Jaehyun exits the driver’s side wearing the usual black suit worn in Red Phoenix.

Not affording to dawdle and waste time, the caramel-head approaches, grabbing his former colleague’s arm and drags him to the back of the van. When Ten pushes Jaehyun against the vehicle, no one else comes out, confirming that the other came alone.

“Look who’s here.”

Jaehyun’s eyes harden at the sight of Ten Chittaphon. He pries the hands away from his arms like they’re doused in dirt and grime, quickly dusting off the sleeves of his suit jacket. “What are you doing here? Are you following me?” He accuses through gritted teeth. “You don’t really wanna stop, huh?”

Ten casts a flitting glance at the HQ before looking at the sharpshooter. “I had business with Garnet.” He smirks, insinuating what the other will end up thinking of when he only had a short talk with Fort.

Anger flares in Jaehyun. “So you really did it huh?”

A drop of rain hits the tip of Ten’s nose. It starts drizzling softly, not hard enough to drench them. The road darkens as it starts to get moist from the soft pitter-patter of raindrops and Jaehyun looks up to see a patch of hair stick on Ten’s forehead. He’s gone back to caramel, but his eyes are black as midnight.

Lenses. Disguise. He knows what it is for.

“Did what?” Ten gives him a funny look, like Jaehyun has just said something so alien to him. “Hey, can we go somewhere? I know we’re gonna get messy – we don’t really converse like normal people, you know? Not with me. And you don’t want this to arouse suspicion – Garnet is just right behind you.” He turns and leads the way, fidgeting with the cigarette tucked on his ear.

Jaehyun has a choice and he doesn’t need to follow Ten. He’s here to try to talk to Fort and clarify Red Phoenix’s status in hopes of claiming what he thinks is rightfully theirs. He didn’t expect to cross paths with Ten Chittaphon again; he doesn’t need to talk to him. They don’t have any business with each other.

But he walks and tails the knife thrower until they end up in an empty alley. It’s a little too cold now, and cloud forms every time Jaehyun exhales. The air bites through the suit he’s wearing and he knows he should’ve worn something more appropriate but he was only planning to be here for a moment – no one notified him that he’d be staying for a little longer for some unwanted reunion.

Honestly, he didn’t think he’d see Ten again. After that gala night, he thought that the other would be hiding away by now as he had done his job to ruin Jaehyun’s plans. But it isn’t like Ten to be hiding away from a mess, especially when they wake the animal in him. 

Thrill. Ten lives for the thrill.

“Ten, just admit it.”

The older stops walking and whips around, raising a brow. “I’m gonna tell you something and you will listen.”

“Speak.”

“I didn’t do whatever you’re thinking of.”

Jaehyun scoffs, glancing back at the direction they came from, licking his lips as he faces the other. “Well tell me what I’m thinking of.”

His words make Ten giggle. It sounds different from the maniacal laugh he had always done when his morbid humor kicks in. The sound is softer, gentler. But they’re still full of malice. “You dare tell me what to do. Alright, weirdo.” Ten relents, back pressed against the bricked wall. “In case you’re still on that bullshit you came up with your equally weird friends, I’m telling you that I didn’t do it. I didn’t take the proposals, I didn’t sabotage Red Phoenix and wait–don’t speak yet. Am I the only one you think is capable of that? How disappointing. You see, Jaehyun.” Ten scratches his temple, sighing. “You trust a lot of people. You don’t do that bullshit here.”

“Ten you’re lying.” Jaehyun huffs disbelievingly. The damage has been done. What more could Ten hide from him that he refuses to admit his betrayal? It’s not like they could rebuild Red Phoenix and right all the mistakes. If anything, Jaehyun is only making him confirm that he’s the one behind Jaehyun’s downfall.

“Don’t give me that bull.” The caramel-head looks genuinely offended for a second that Jaehyun actually felt a little guilty, which is crazy, since he knows what he’s talking about. But should he really be surprised, when people like Ten were born to manipulate and take advantage? “I’m lying now? Me? What do I get from that? You have nothing to give me if I lie to you now. When did I ever? Come on, I wasn’t the one who said he couldn’t see himself standing anywhere else but next to me.” Exasperation drips from every single word Ten Chittaphon spouts. He’s always frustrated with Jaehyun anyway. “Sounds familiar?”

He did say that. Jaehyun remembers it like it was yesterday. He was next to Ten as they hid from Dragonaire and he was uncertain of their ambiguous fate. He told the other they wouldn’t win the war, but Ten didn’t give a damn whether they win or not – as long as Jaehyun fought with him. It was a good, nerve-wrecking day; Jaehyun felt good, light, like he could see himself fighting with Ten for the next days, years, lifetime – like they were official partners in crime. Was it all a lie? Did he only say those words in a spur of the moment? Was he just carried away by the adrenaline rushing through his veins that time?

Jaehyun blinks away the nostalgia. “I wasn’t serious.” The older man shrugs.

“Sure you weren’t. No biggie. I’m not holding you responsible for your obsession allegations against me for remembering every little thing about you and all the mess I made.” Guilt-tripping is what Ten tends to do. Jaehyun feels every ounce of it.

With a shake of his head, the sharpshooter scoffs, biting the corner of his lip. “This is what you’re good at, huh. Diverting the topic. You’re lying. Just say it.”

Gloom falls between the two. It feels like they’re strangers, the type that used to be close and after a drastic event befalls them, they are torn apart, thrown into the opposite sides of the world. When in actuality, they’re just a few feet apart, and if Jaehyun wants, he could reach out and run his hand through the caramel tresses that still look so soft despite the chemicals clinging to it – and that’s what Jaehyun really wants to do.

“Okay fine. I’m lying.”

His reverie screeches to a halt. “Really?”

Ten peevishly kicks a rock on the ground and the object hits the iron fence on the opposite side of the alley. “See? This fucktard–I just said I’m lying and now you’re questioning it. You’re infuriating, alright.” He rips the cig off of his pierced ear and lights it up, hand slightly trembling. The cancerous smoke morphs with the clouds of chilly breaths they release.

“That’s because you don’t take things seriously!”

“Dimple boy, life’s too short. Just enjoy things the way they are.” Ten retorts nonchalantly.

Jaehyun is unrelenting. No – he can’t drop this now. “Ten I need you to go back to Garnet and tell them the truth.”

Confusion contorts on Ten’s face. “What truth?”

“That you went against Red Phoenix!” Jaehyun impatiently states the obvious like he was talking to an invalid.

“Okay.” The knife thrower nods, inhaling the cigarette. “What’s the reason I did it?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“Because I don’t fucking know what to say.” The cigarette is thrown on the ground before a boot stomps on it. Ten runs a hand through his hair in frustration, and the strands fall softly over his eyes. “I said I didn’t fucking do it, god dammit. I don’t care if you believe me or not, we have no relations anymore and I don’t give a shit if we do. Now fucking scram and leave me alone.”

Jaehyun scoffs, outraged. “You’re the one that keeps following me like a damn shadow!”

Shadow. Ten Chittaphon had told him that in his dream. Ten Chittaphon will be there, right behind him anywhere he goes. He’s not going to leave Jaehyun alone, is he? His dream is manifesting right at the moment. They’re currently in a dark spot and Jaehyun remembers running in circles in the tunnel until he finds the way out, but a blade had pierced through him and Ten is the last thing he saw before everything turned black.

A dark laugh falls from Ten’s lips. “Now that’s dramatic. Poetic. Philosophical. Ever tried being a novelist, dimple boy?”

Dimple boy. It’s like back then when they just met. They’re absolutely strangers again – and Jaehyun wants to know why it makes his throat constrict.

“Cut the crap, Ten. You’re stalking me. You can’t leave me alone.”

“Au contraire, I don’t give a shit about you do, wherever you go. This is just life bullshitting me.”

Silence settles like a long-stretched string barely hanging on the both of them.

Jaehyun sighs. “I should kill you, Ten. You’re asking for it at this point.”

Ten stares back at him. He looks like the old Ten before his hair was dyed red, but it doesn’t look like him at the same time. Maybe it’s because of the eyes. Jaehyun likes it blue. He looked like those beautiful warriors in the shoujo, historical mangas he used to read.

“Why do you want to kill me?”

“You did me dirty. I have dreams for Invictus and you ruined it…”

“No,” Ten shakes his head, grinning. “You ruined it because you’re fucking greedy. You’re a fucking sly, scheming asshole.” Acid sizzles on Ten’s tongue as he jabs a finger into Jaehyun’s direction, emphasizing his point. “Even if no one stole that proposal, you will still manage to ruin Invictus because you’re greedy. You don’t have a fucking right to use that ‘cause it’s not yours, bastard.” He’s shaking and Jaehyun just notices it – it looks bad, as though Ten’s about to collapse if he doesn’t control the urge. “I’m gonna fucking kill you, I swear to god you aggravate the fuck out of me.”

“Do it.” Jaehyun provokes, face stern. “Harm me. I’ll make sure the cops catch you. You’re hiding from the club murder, right?”

The caramel-head’s brows crease. “Do I look like I’m hiding? This hair? Lenses? Is this what you call hiding? If anything, me walking around like this screams bloody catch me.” Ten leans his weight against the wall and the gun presses to his hip, cold and waiting to be pulled.

He closes his eyes and counts one, two, three until his breathing steadies. When he looks up, Jaehyun is still there, watching him.

“Why are you still here,”

“Go back to Garnet and confess.”

Ten can easily tell him it’s Moon Taeil. But why should he spoon feed all of that information to Jaehyun? He figured it out by himself. The least that Jaehyun could do after his failure is know the truth on his own.

“Confess? Smells like some religious shit. What’s not working?” Ten raps a finger on his temple. “Your fucking brain is what. Alright,” His shoulders sag in exhaustion and Ten’s wound stings a little from the movement. “Let’s say I did it. You think Garnet is innocent? Bitch–that’s fucking business right there. If we were scheming together, and that’s something I wouldn’t have the energy to do, you think Garnet would pity you and your little squad and return the projects? Do you have the money, the name? No. Even if I fucking shoot myself in the mouth,” He pulls out his gun and presses it to his lower lip, digging the muzzle painfully. “Right in front of Fort, he won’t choose Invictus over Casanov. If you want to beg, go to him,” Now pointing the gun to the HQ’s direction, Ten continues. “Go to Fort. You were heading there to beg, right? Pathetic. Take a piece of advice and go back to your country to fix your own shit.”

Ten puts the gun back in its holster and brushes past Jaehyun.

“Take it back.”

He turns around, frowning. “I just sa–“

“Take back what you said.” Jaehyun stalks up to him, stopping a few inches before the knife thrower. His jaw is clenching as anger steams off of his whole visage.

“Which one? It’s late and I don’t have a lot of time to recall each and every word I said.”

They hold the eye contact, neither wanting to back down as Jaehyun mentally debates with himself if he should say it – it rings in his head, making him feel small, like pest easy to crush beneath the strong one’s foot.

“Pathetic.”

Mischief dances in Ten’s eyes. “Ohoho, did I hurt your cute ‘lil ego?”

Ten splutters as he staggers back after Jaehyun’s unsuspected punch. “Fuck!” His mouth throbs in pain as he licks the blood off the cut on his lip that was split open. He seethes and charges back at Jaehyun, dodging the other’s attack with a roundhouse kick, hitting the side of Jaehyun’s head that makes the younger reel to the side. Seeing another chance, the caramel-head goes in for another kick just as Jaehyun covers himself with both arms. With a fast reflex, the younger grabs hold of Ten’s ankle and ferociously pulls, visibly wincing as the knife thrower slides down and hits the ground with a pained grunt. The gun skids to the ground from the impact.

Jaehyun quickly turns Ten on his stomach when he sees that the latter’s about to send a blow to his face and twists the other’s arm on his back.

“Fucking shit! That fucking hurts!”

He’s about to turn a deaf ear to the other’s wails when Jaehyun notices the growing wet spot on Ten’s trench coat. He presses a finger down and swipes the wetness, eyes bulging as realization dawns on him. Jaehyun’s weight is lifted off of Ten in an instant, worry flooding the shooter’s veins as he pulls Ten to a stand, frantically checking for more injuries like he wasn’t just about to pummel the older to a pulp. All hostility dissipates from him at the knowledge that he hurt Ten.

“Shit. Ten, why are you ble–“

Ten wobbles, cupping his shoulder. “Get the fuck away from me, Jaehyun. Listen, I don’t wanna kill you. You already failed and that’s as good as dead to me.”

The weight of the words drops on Jaehyun like a ton of concrete. For some reason, friendship flickers in the back of his mind as he stares at Ten’s bleeding shoulder. They’re not friends – he never returned the strange attachment to the deranged man in front of him. But as sick as it is, he’s pained, his chest hollows in emptiness as though his heart was ripped out of its imprisonment.

It’s his fault for letting this spiral out of control. He left Ten alone when supervision is what the other extremely needs. He forced Ten out of the loop because he thought it would be fruitless to let him near. He let Ten roam the outside world fully knowing the danger it entails. And now they’re back to square one, like the first day in Red Phoenix when the caramel-head hated everyone. Jaehyun shouldn’t care.

But why the fuck does it hurt like this?

His voice breaks a little when he speaks to ask something he already knows. “How did we come to this, Ten?”

“How?” Ten grips Jaehyun’s collar and hauls the younger close, their noses almost touching. “You dare ask me that? Maybe you shouldn’t have fucking abandoned me in the first place and went your own fucking way acting like a fucking king.” With the energy left in him he pushes Jaehyun and turns away, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

Jaehyun glances down and sees the gun that Ten left, picking it up. “Wait–“

At the familiar sound of a gun scratching against the ground, Ten grunts and turns, elbowing Jaehyun against the temple, thinking that the younger was going to shoot him.

The gun falls out of Jaehyun’s grasp when his head hits the bricked wall. The last thing he sees before darkness curtain his eyes was Ten’s face stricken with horror, and his body hits the cold, wet ground.

Ten stares at the image in front of him. He’s frozen in shock and fear for the first time in his life as blood trickles down the side of Jaehyun’s face. The reality kicks in and his knees protest in pain as he drops to the younger’s side and quickly brings Jaehyun’s head on his lap. Blood coats one of his hands and the usual excitement that he thought would be there doesn’t come. The metallic stench hits his senses, beckoning him to have a taste.

Rather, his stomach churns disapprovingly and Ten retches to the side, spilling the disgusting bitterness fizzing in his throat.

“Ugh,” Ten quickly wipes the vomit off his mouth, ignoring the sting when he grazes against the cut on his lip and slaps Jaehyun’s cheek. “Jaehyun. Jaehyun! Hey.” Shaking the other desperately, Ten feels something in his eyes sting and his vision blurs. He doesn’t get to tell what it is when the rain starts to pour harder, soaking him from head to toe.

“Hey, friends don’t die on each other, you know.” Ten chuckles, still slapping Jaehyun’s cheek. The blood is washed by the rain but more oozes out of the wound on Jaehyun’s head. “I heard that from a movie…” His body starts rocking back and forth and the younger is still out like a light, unmoving. For the first time in Ten’s life, he doesn’t know what to do, only letting fear envelope him like a seizing snake. His voice echoes along the dark, empty alleyway. “What was that again? Hey, fucker! Wake the fuck up! Time to fucking stop playing, alright. This is your fault, Jaehyun. This is your fucking fault.”

Ten pats down the other’s pocket and pulls out a phone. He quickly types a message, sending it to one of the squad members and drops it on the small puddle of water. Jaehyun remains immobile in his hold. “Heeeeey, Jaehyun. What do you do in times like this? I can’t take you to a hospital. That rabbit’s gonna come get you.” He gently moves Jaehyun’s head off of his lap and gets up, wiping the blood down his wet coat before picking up the gun and putting it back to the holster. “Stay there, alright. Don’t fucking die.”

Ten runs out of the alley and heads back to his hiding spot at the side of the motel. He squints through the harsh rainwater and spots Moon Taeil walking out of the HQ with anger etched all over his face.

It’s done. Fort kicked him out.

He stays where he is, blending in the shadows as Taeil opens an umbrella and stalks out of the gates, walking off to a different direction. Ten then comes out of his hiding place to tail the other, trying his best to keep the sound of his footsteps down, matching the rhythm of Taeil’s.

The street is already empty. Taeil stops before a car and pulls out something from his pocket. Keys. Ten darts over to where the target is and knocks him out with a single blow on the back of his head, catching the body with his bad arm as he opens the door to the driver’s seat, unlocking the others. Ten pushes Moon Taeil’s unconscious body at the back before getting in and driving out of the area to a desolate garage he had found for the execution of his plans.

0o0o0

When was the last time he had a pet to play with? Ah, some time ago. He can’t remember the exact date. Kim Jaeseok was sleeping peacefully on the ground that time, and he was observing quietly, patiently, like a hyena as it waits for the perfect time to attack its victim.

It’s the same at the moment. Ten feels like he was taken to the past to relive such magnificence. Except that his shoulder is injured, he’s not in Red Phoenix, and Kim Jaeseok is not the one tied on the ground.

Ten pops the can of beer open and downs half of its content, some dripping down the corner of his mouth to follow a trail down the side of his neck. It’s sticky and cold, but he doesn’t care. He already looks like train wreck personified. When he went out to buy something to heat up his body, the cashier at this one convenience store gave him a stink eye. He knows he looks like as if a bulldozer ran him over. Ten bought the beer, shot the CCTV before shooting the judgmental cashier boy.

He shouldn’t have looked at Ten Chittaphon.

It’s a little over 3 A.M. It’s late, the darkness traipsing half of the world. Ten puts his legs down from having it hiked atop the rotten table in the rundown garage that he found together with Risa right after they collected the weapons. His fingers rap on the surface, creating an unknown melody before they catch the base of the hourglass next to the can of beer. Ten turns it upside down when the last grain of sand falls.

Moon Taeil moves. Ten pulls out two knives from his strap and sharpens them together, the steely noise waking his victim from sleep.

The lone bulb hangs right over Taeil’s face and it blinds him for a moment, preventing him from completely opening his eyes. “Where–“

“Sleeping beauty’s awake.” Ten says with a teasing tone, and Moon Taeil’s eyes snap on his direction. “It’s past 3 in the morning if you wanna know.”

“…Ten Chittaphon?”

“Surprise, surprise!” The caramel-head stands, putting the knives down before walking over to Moon Taeil’s helpless form on the ground. He towers over the other man with his hands on his hips. “Were you surprised, Taeil? You didn’t think I’d live, right?”

“What are you doing?” Taeil glances down his body and tries to pull his arms out. It’s utterly futile. “Untie me now.”

“Eh? But why? It’s playtime.” Whispers Ten as he crouches, and the sinister tone reaches Taeil, making him shudder as panic settles in his guts.

“W-we’re not in your torture chamber. Don’t mess around!”

Ten has the gall to look offended. “I never mess around, Taeil. There’s a reason why you’re here.” Smiling now, he points at himself. “Ask me.”

The former Red Phoenix assistant stops attempting to escape the restrains for a moment to appease the insane man., fully aware of the consequence if he does otherwise. “Why am I here?”

He internally cheers at the sight of a pleased look on Ten’s face, making the mistake of thinking that he’ll be free after.

“Mm. You’re obedient. I like it very, very much. So different from that Dragonaire son.” Ten relishes on the panic in Taeil’s face. “Who is it again?”

“…Kim Jaeseok.”

“Damn, you know. I mean,” Ten stands up to circle the other man’s form, slowly walking around with his blue eyes, now free of lenses staring at his prey. “Why wouldn’t you? You were conspiring with them against Red Phoenix.”

Taeil scoffs as he keeps up a vain act. “What kind of nonsense is that? Cut the crap and untie me, Ten Chittaphon.”

The knife thrower smirks at Taeil’s composed stature. “Tsk. I don’t want to. And don’t deny it anymore; Risa Uehara confessed everything to me.”

The lie shuts Moon Taeil up and the blame on the woman shows on his face as he shuts his eyes close and mutters something under his breath.

“Say something.”

“Did you kill her already?”

Ten clicks his tongue and shakes his head, stopping by Taeil’s feet. “I could’ve let you go but you gave me the wrong answer. Does it matter? You dropped her from the plan. Listen, Taeil,” Ten nudges the other’s foot with his. “I’ll make this easy for you. I just want to know one more thing.”

“I’ll tell you everything if you’ll let me go.”

“Deal.” Ten lights up, rubbing his palms together. “I’m easy to talk to. Now, when did you start talking to Dragonaire?”

“Back in September…”

“And the reason is?”

Moon Taeil’s face darkens. “I want a higher position. I’d remain merely a slave to Lee Namgyu if I stayed in Red Phoenix and Kim Taejun promised me primary control with their operations, like second-in-command. They wanted to establish a stronger reputation by stealing Red Phoenix’s status and partnering up with Garnet.”

“Second-in-command?” Ten asks. “What does that make Kim Jaeseok?”

Taeil wavers. “He’s the heir…”

“Okay,” The trench coat leaves him as Ten drops the soaked piece of fabric on the ground. The raining has stopped for a while, but it seems to have gotten colder. “He’s the heir. You know, you should’ve known better that crime families are called crime families for a reason. You think Taejun would give you that much control? You’re an outsider. If you could betray Red Phoenix, you could betray a third-rate org.” The fallen org’s heir scoffs at Moon Taeil’s stupidity. “You played Lee Namgyu; Kim Taejun would’ve played you as well. An heir is an heir, and it’s not you.”

Ten leaves the man to go back to the rotten table, taking off the knife strap. He lays it next to the hourglass and runs a finger along the display of blades, choosing from his many options.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Remember the picture you guys sent me? Of Namgyu and Olivia?” Ten slams the knife down the table, impressed at its sharpness as the blade pierced through before pulling it out. “Do you remember?”

Taeil gulps. “Yes.”

“How did you find Olivia and my mother?”

“W-we forced Lee Namgyu to spill. By electrocution.”

The knife thrower nods, repeatedly chopping down the edge of the table. “So that’s why his body looked kinda black. I knew the bastard was weak. Anyway, when did you decide on heading to Garnet?”

“Please let me go now…”

As though exhausted of the situation, Ten sighs, head tilted as his intense blue eyes rake over Taeil’s shuddering form. “We’re not yet done. Be good and I’ll cut those ropes. Answer the question.”

The restrained man obliges, afraid. “Dragonaire wouldn’t respond to me anymore, so I went to the HQ. But it’s burned. Did you… did you do that?”

“Perhaps I did. You fooled Fort, huh? So cunning.” Ten sighs, picking up the can of beer and kicking the bloodied trench coat out of his way as he walks back to his victim, taking a single gulp of his drink before pouring the rest of it over Taeil’s face.

The man splutters, choking as most of the beer filled his nose. “You motherfucker! Let me go!”

“What do I get from it?” The can falls on the floor with a resounding clatter as Ten grabs a dirty rag from the corner before forcibly gagging Moon Taeil’s mouth. The noises muffle as the man protests, thrashing even more when his sense of sight is suddenly disabled with a makeshift blindfold.

Finding the garage was a blessing, as everything that Ten Chittaphon needs is in it. He picks up a rusty plier from a deformed ledge by the corner. “You remember what Dragonaire did to Olivia? They carved her skin. But we’ll get to that later. Right now, I kinda missed playing with Jaeseok, so I might pretend you’re him and relive those memories, ‘mkay? I need you to cooperate with me. Or else this will turn out really, really bad.” He swings the plier carelessly as he marches back to the struggling man.

“Hey, hey. Be quiet. See this?” He dangles the plier over Taeil’s face, snickering. “Of course you can’t! I remember Jung Jaehyun pointing that out, but I just wanted to stress the fact that you can’t do anything about it. Isn’t it exciting? You won’t know where it is, how close it is to your face, when it’s going to plunge right down your eye.” He drops it right next to Taeil and the man jerks from the sound, alarmed by the proximity of the object. Ten quickly grabs one knife from the table and rips off Taeil’s pants just like what he did to Kim Jaeseok, leaving the man bare from the waist down.

The muffled cries grow louder, harsher as he presses the cool blade on Taeil’s thigh, skimming across the expanse of unblemished skin before suddenly cutting, leaving countless lacerations all over the man’s legs. Ten ignores the desperate cries as he litters more cuts until red is all he sees, no more of Moon Taeil’s tan.

“Aww, what are you saying? Are you saying something?” Ten moves his face close to Taeil’s and pretends to listen to the other’s gagged pleas. He laughs, punishing as he dips two fingers in one of the deeper wounds, pressing against the hot, pulsing flesh inside the man’s thigh. He watches Moon Taeil squirm like a madman, trying to kick him away but to no avail. Ten Chittaphon prods, plunges and presses until his fingers are knuckle deep before abruptly pulling them out. The stickiness of blood between the gaps of his fingers is more fascinating than anything in the world at the moment. He looks down at his victim whose blindfold is already wet with tears before putting his fingers back in and the rest of his hand grips around the wound.

“What are you saying? Hm? I’m despicable? I guess you’re not exactly the brightest crayon in the box by telling me that, Taeil. ‘Cause I already know.” He removes the gag covered in spit and tosses it.

“STOP! Please stop!”

“That’s what he told me too. But you know what I did?” He presses the fingers harder, determined to leave no room for anything other than pain. “I did not stop.”

“FUCK! Take it out! God, Ten Chittaphon please spare me! Let me go!”

“Why would I do that?” The tormenter eventually pulls out his fingers and picks up the plier. “Why should I do that when I can have fun with you instead?” A strong hand grips Taeil’s jaw and forces it open before Ten, without warning, starts pulling out the man’s teeth. “You could’ve just killed me back there, you know? An eye for an eye. But you had to take Olivia with you.”

More teeth roll on the cold, hard ground as Moon Taeil spurts out blood.

“Was me killing Jaeseok very convenient to you? Did it make your plans all too easy? Or harder? You thought you could kill me, hm? Moon Taeil, if you thought Satan lives in hell, then check your surroundings.” The knife thrower slices the ropes circling the man’s torso and tears what remains of his clothes. “Oops, I forgot you can’t see!”

“Stop… I can’t take it anymore…”

“I’ll stop when I’m satisfied. I’m insatiable, unfortunately.” Mercilessly, Ten Chittaphon starts carving letters on his toy’s body. They cut deep with oozing blood.

Squirming with all his might, Taeil screams at the top of his lungs in vain. The garage is situated in an abandoned lot, and no one will come for his rescue. “It hurts! Please stop, stop! Get away from me!”

“Just a little more…” Ten slices off one of the nipples, ripping another scream from his victim “There! I’m quite impressed with your pain tolerance, Moon.” He wears bliss on his face like a permanent mask. “What does it say? Tell me!” He grabs the other’s hair and yanks harshly as though he wants to pull the hair out. “Tell me, you fucking monster!”

Monster. Everyone is a monster, and he believes he’s the worst of all. But the man being tortured by his hands is the man who let several of his kind rape his mother, torment his sister until she admits defeat to death, their invincible enemy. Even Lee Namgyu deserves a little bit of justice.

Moon Taeil begins to grow quiet, reduced to a pathetically whimpering pulp.

Rage foams in his whole visage as his eyes burn with scalding hot fury. “C’est la guerre. Olivia didn’t deserve it. Now you’re begging me to stop? What did you do when she begged you to stop?” Ten manhandles the limping man to a stand, like a ragged doll, as he pins Moon Taeil to the wall, cutting through the cable wire around his hands and tying his wrists next to his head with the discarded rope, attaching them to embedded hooks.

“Just kill me, Ten… You’re not getting the proposals anymore. I’m useless. Fort blacklisted me; you can’t rebuild Red Phoenix…”

“So he didn’t tell you anything about me?”

Taeil weakly shakes his head. “I just figured you’re the one who must have exposed me. For what?” The man raises his head. Ten Chittaphon knows the other would want to glare at him if the blindfold wasn’t there. “You’ll get nothing from me. Just kill me.”

Scoffing, Ten taps the blade on his bloodied hand. “You don’t exactly have the right to dictate me how I should do my job. Do you tell a surgeon how to perform an operation? You’re just the patient.” A lunatic laugh reverberates around the abandoned garage. “God, you remind me of Jung Jaehyun. I wonder if the rabbit came for him.”

Ten walks back to the table to tie the knife strap around his torso. He hears Moon Taeil tug against the restraints and something bubbles in his chest, picking up the knives he was sharpening earlier. “Keep. Fucking. Still.” The knife thrower showcases his prowess with blades as he hurls one for each of Taeil’s hands, piercing through the palms to attach them against the wall, keeping the man from struggling.

The cry he gets is enough to last him another month without thirsting for blood.

“Please, please, just kill me! I can’t take it! Just kill me!” Tears soak through the blindfold, trickling down Taeil’s face.

“I will.” Ten picks up the trench coat and wears it as he approaches his prey, annoyed at the stench of blood stuck on its expensive fabric. “You know what else I did to the Kims of Dragonaire?”

The poor man wheezes out a rough ‘no’.

“This.” Like the empty vessel that used to be a human being; soulless, Ten grabs the back of the man’s head before driving the sharpest knife down Taeil’s throat, his face as emotionless as the dead as he cuts across the neck, listening to the gut-twisting cracks and squelches of torn muscles, before the other’s head finally detaches from the body as the redhead savagely rips it off. Ten Chittaphon wipes a hand down his face, now rained with splotches of viscous crimson.

“I swear, all of you are the same. Silent as a mute when everything comes to an end. Like you’re pausing my background music. Buzzkills.” Ten pouts, swinging Taeil’s head over his good shoulder before tossing the weapon. He’d love to smoke but all his cigarettes are drenched. “Bullshit.”

His blue eyes scan the entirety of the blood stained room before pinning over the headless body attached to the wall. “You know this was what lay ahead when you decided to ruin everyone’s lives. Well deserved, alright?”

The click of his tongue echoes in the sudden silence with the disappearance of Moon Taeil’s screams, before Ten turns the hourglass upside down again and walks out, raising his brows at the sight of a thin layer of snow covering the ground. “Ah, so you snowed again, Paris?”

He makes a turn to where the car is parked and just as he keys the door, someone grabs his arm from behind and attempts to pull him. Ten swings the head to the attacker, successfully distracting the man before he pulls out his gun and shoots. Victory almost comes but another attacker arrives to twist his bad arm, inflicting pain that causes the caramel-head to drop the firearm. It drops with a wet thump over the snow before Ten forces himself to send a kick behind. The attackers, wearing a balaclava to hide their faces simultaneously charge at him, missing the knife thrower when the latter slides down the ground, picking up the gun and aiming at the two. Grunts fill the icy air as they fall wounded, clutching the parts of their body now stuffed with bullets.

“Fucking… Robbery in this kind of place or what,” Ten rains more bullets on the two until he runs out of it just for good measure. He puts the handgun back in the holster, head tilted to the side to look at Taeil’s head that carelessly rolled away, leaving a trail of red on the snow.

“Aw, look at you. Aren’t you cu–“ 

A prickling pain on his neck cuts him off. Before Ten could process what’s happening, his vision blurs and he falls limp, face planted on the ground.

“Damn. We really had to sacrifice two men for you, eh. If you didn’t have a fucking expensive price on your head…”

Kai tears the balaclava and ruffles his hair before hauling Ten’s body over his shoulder, dumping him inside the awaiting SUV parked just around the corner. Since his two colleagues are dead, he drives out alone, checking the body in the backseat every now and then through the rearview mirror.

“Venandi’s going to rake millions with you, Ten Chittaphon…”

0o0o0

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” Taeyong closes the medical kit and pushes it beneath Jaehyun’s bed. The nurse just finished cleaning up the wound on the younger’s head; fortunately it isn’t too alarming, just that he lost an amount of blood that he was pale during the first two days following the trauma.

The squad was in tumult that night. Doyoung was frantic, a rare occurrence ever since the runaway from Dragonaire. They had assumed that Jaehyun managed to text before passing out – the sharpshooter didn’t bother to correct them.

Jaehyun gives him a grateful look, slightly smiling as he caresses the bandage on his head. Taeyong had to shave a little part of his hair for the former to be able to stitch up the wound. It wasn’t painful, but it didn’t keep him from gripping his pillow either. The previous times he had to be sent to the clinic from the training he did, they were all caused by little scratches here and there – combat training was not very nice to him. This is the first as of yet. “Yeah, Taeyong. I’m fine. It’s just a scratch and you know it.”

“It’s not just a scratch and you know it.” The tiny nurse scolds him like a parent and Jaehyun has to hold the out-of-place amusement in case the other goes berserk on him. The first and last time he had witnessed it, it was actually scary.

“I trust you.”

Relief washes over the nurse. “Thank you, Jaehyun but we don’t have the proper equipment here to have you properly checked. You might have a concussion. I know this is annoying since I’ve been asking you for two–“

“Three.”

“–three days now but are you sure you don’t feel pressure in your head? Pains?”

“I don’t feel them, I’m sure of it.”

“Okay. Dizziness?”

Jaehyun presses his lips firmly when they start stretching into a smile. “I’m okay.”

Taeyong is now jotting down notes, looking very serious while doing his job. “Temporary loss of consciousness, vomiting?”

“Taeyong…”

He receives a glare. “Shut up, Jaehyun let me do my job. Feelings of confusion or feeling like you’re surrounded by fog?”

Jaehyun gives him an are-you-serious face, to which Taeyong’s nose flares in reaction. “Don’t give me that look. I’m serious.”

Alright. Taeyong is actually serious. Jaehyun shakes his head, feeling sulky. “Noooo…”

“Now you’re acting like a child. Last one. Do you remember everything that happened that night?”

Jaehyun stares at him for a few seconds before the coal black eyes drop on the bed. “I wish I don’t.”

Silence falls between them before the sound of rustling reaches him as Taeyong keeps the pen and paper away, looking reluctant to give any sort of comfort. “I’m sorry, Jaehyun. You shouldn’t have gone there.”

“I wanted to try. We don’t need to sell ourselves short, Taeyong. Plus…that talk with Ten, I feel like I needed it.”

“Why?”

“I just,” Jaehyun sighs, rubbing his forehead. “I feel guilty. He’s crazy, I know. But he didn’t deserve what I did to him. I shouldn’t have left him alone.”

Taeyong’s grips his hand, squeezing and Jaehyun’s eyes meet the other’s strong ones. “Jaehyun, he’s manipulating you right now.”

“Is he?”

“Yes!” Taeyong exclaims, pumped by concern. “Don’t forget that it’s still his fault that we’re having troubles as we speak.”

Right. Taeyong is right. All of this is still Ten Chittaphon’s fault and Jaehyun can’t believe that he got swayed for a bit there. Focus, Jaehyun. Focus.

An airy laugh escapes him, and Jaehyun lets go of the other’s hand. “When we talked, I was ready to forgive him, you know.”

“That seems so easy…”

“I know. But he still chose to lie.” Bitterness, together with agony return and he welcomes them back in like long lost company.

Taeyong nods and gets off the bed to walk over to the door. He stops with a hand on the knob to look back at the other’s broken daze. “That’s the way it is, Jaehyun. Please don’t concern yourself with him anymore, alright? He only means trouble.”

“I know. I learned it the hard way, you see?”

The nurse snorts at the smartass response, feeling the atmosphere lighten a bit. “Idiot. Come on, Doyoung said he got information about the auction this coming Tuesday.”

With nothing else to do, Jaehyun leaves his room with Taeyong and joins the rest of the squad in the living room-turned-into-a-mini-office that they don’t utilize for its purpose.

“What’s up?” Jaehyun sits on the armrest of the couch that Yuta, Sicheng and Johnny are already occupying.

Doyoung turns to him from facing the laptop on the desk, his glasses pushed atop his head. “I looked into the group you talked about, the one holding an auction every month. They’re doing one this Tuesday at 9 in the evening. All interested groups are welcome.”

“Right. About that, I already mentioned to my father that I’m planning to buy people, that we should try trafficking.”

“Did he say something about Garnet?” Yuta carefully asks, not wanting to ignite negativity in the room.

At that, Jaehyun huffs as exhaustion shows on his features. “No but he pointed out that it’s taking too long. If we manage to bag a lot of people, we’ll fly back to Korea ASAP to connect with new clients. Dad is already working on that.” 

Winwin perks up, eyes sparkling. “That’s good news, right? I mean, if we go back without Garnet’s name with us, at least the trip here was still fruitful.”

“He’s right,” Johnny’s lips purse in thought, absently rolling the watch around his wrist. “We’re not gonna get beheaded just like that.”

Jaehyun’s eyes dramatically roll at the other’s ridiculous insinuation. “Shut up, that won’t happen.”

“But when your dad gets angry, it’s still not a pretty sight.”

“…Point taken. Doyoung, what’s the group again? I have the cards in my room.”

Doyoung squints at the laptop. “Venandi.”

“Alright. Please confirm our attendance.”

They all turn their heads at him. “Our”?

“Yeah, we’re all going. When dad hands Invictus over to me, my consultants need to know everything that I’m dealing with, right?”

Excited grins stretch over their faces. Jaehyun is grateful; at least they’re all willing to stay with him through thick and thin.

Taeyong notices their leader sag a bit and glances at the woman keeping to herself in the kitchen. “Léonie? Can you please make some soup? Someone here is being stubborn acting tough.”

“Alright…”

Their eyes meet and Jaehyun has to hastily avert his gaze. Those striking blue eyes bring an ominous feeling whenever he sees them.

He has no idea where Ten Chittaphon is. The caramel-head must have fled the scene to God knows where after texting Doyoung. Paris is a vast paradise; the serpent will find its rightful place without qualms.

0o0o0

“Is this a theater?” Yuta asks as soon as he takes his seat right next to Jaehyun. There’s a small pull-out table attached to the back of the seats in front of them, already prepared with food they can eat while the auction goes on. In close inspection, Yuta thinks it’s better than nothing – they skipped dinner for this, thinking it’ll be grander. At least there’s wine instead of water. No wonder they’re a second-rate. The Kingpin must be a cheapskate.

Scanning the room surreptitiously, he realizes that everyone seems to have assumed a dress code – suits. Just like at the gala. Besides, this is still a formal activity organized by Venandi.

Jaehyun nurses himself with the wine, sipping on it with a hum of approval. “It surely is. Though you know that it isn’t for theatrical purposes that it was built. The area is not even a typical spot for tourists or even the natives, hidden away from the hullabaloo. It’s exactly for this,” He eyes the stage where someone frantically checks behind the curtains over and over, “For selling goods.”

“You know, I’m fully aware that Red Phoenix used to participate in this kind of trade, but how do you find these people?”

“Most of them are taken. You know the drill – walking alone, drunk, drugged in clubs. These club owners are clients of the mafia. Some of them willingly sell themselves in exchange for money. Organizations don’t give a shit where it goes as long as they get you.”

Winwin, sitting behind Jaehyun joins in the conversation. “Where are they sent?”

Jaehyun puts the glass down and wipes his mouth with a napkin. “It depends on their purposes. But most of them are bought for sexual favors. It’s the main objective anyway. The sole reason why trafficking even exists.” Frowning a bit, he turns to the Chinese arsonist. “Aren’t you guys supposed to know this?”

Someone butts in, voice a little muffled due to the bread already stuffed in his mouth. Johnny’s face catches the napkin Jaehyun had thrown. “We have an idea but we don’t know the specifics. We’re for field missions, remember? Not the candidates to be the next mafia leaders.”

The other has a point and Jaehyun gives him that with a timeless joke. “Alright. 10 points for Johnnydor.”

“I wish I was deaf.”

Jaehyun doesn’t even want to look at Yuta.

On his other side, Doyoung is shooting daggers at them with his glare through the graded glasses. “Guys, be quiet. It’s starting.”

“Shush!” Taeyong hisses, clinging to Johnny’s arm. “It doesn’t matter. All of these predators–“

“We are predators.”

“I said what I said, Winwin. These predators are gonna howl in glee anyway once the biddings start.”

Winwin mumbles something that sounds a lot like ‘midget’. “How much are we spending?”

Jaehyun’s shrugs. “I don’t know. What’s important is we bring home fine goods regardless of the number. Two, three, as long as they’re of high quality. We’re only starting. Think of this as sampling.”

A manly voice booms through the theater, cutting off Winwin from responding to Jaehyun. On stage is a man dressed in a crisp suit. He looks about mid 40s in age judging from the lines on his face. Still, he exudes charisma and authority, but still subpar to both Lee Namgyu and Fort.

“Good evening, gents!”

“Oh,” Winwin blinks rapidly. “It’s in English. Is that their boss?”

Doyoung chooses to respond right away just for the other to shut up. Sometimes, Winwin doesn’t know how to read between the lines. “There are foreigners here and yes, most likely.”

“We won’t be beating around the bush anymore. You all know what’s in store for everyone today.” The face-splitting smile on the man shows the malevolence in his nature, the cruelty of humans on humans in lieu of selfish pleasure – it’s the same with all the men in the room except for the squad who are more bored with the scripted introduction than anything else. “So without further ado, let’s begin with the first product!”

The curtain opens, revealing a skinny woman dressed in a frilly top and the shortest skirt Jaehyun has ever seen. It’s baby pink in color and her long, black silky hair is tied up in pigtails. She looks so young and she was probably styled that way to sell quickly. Besides, these old men prefer the fresh ones rather than those hitting the peak limit of age.

She doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable. At least she’s aware of what she’s getting into.

“A Japanese doll, wide eyes and porcelain skin! Look at her voluptuous figure only at 18! Bidding starts at €5000!”

Voluptuous. The girl is skin and bones. Jaehyun scoffs, watching the other patrons raise their paddles. The bid caller standing next to the boss shouts prices, until the girl’s value increases to €6500 and then she’s sold, just like that, taken by another man to prepare for the check-out.

The next product comes out after a minute. It’s another girl, but definitely older and more alluring than the first one. She’s apparently Australian – blond hair, tan skin and round, brown eyes. She looks confident standing on stage as clients howl their numbers, raising her initial price of €7000 to €10000. A group from Canada successfully buys the woman who audaciously sends a flying kiss to her bidder before taken to the clerk who will be recording the sold item.

It goes on for another half an hour until Jaehyun bids on a man. European, honey hair, light colored eyes. He ignores the look sent to his way by the squad members, a little peeved for being judged.

“What?” He asks, before raising his paddle for the second time, shouting €7500.

“Nothing~” Yuta sing-songs. Jaehyun honestly doesn’t understand them at the moment, irritated at having to decode their behavior. The auctioneer closes the price at €7500, sold to Invictus.

He gets two more people, women, Chinese and Russian. The others are getting too pricey so Jaehyun doesn’t bid, uncertain if it’s worth it. Moreover, the ones he already bought are only samples until his father gives the final decision. He hopes the products are good enough to convince their Kingpin.

The host, Venandi’s boss Alessio pauses with a knowing grin on his face. It’s malicious to say the least, and the glint in his eyes speaks volumes. Jaehyun squirms in his seat, suddenly bothered. He knows that auctions save the best products for last and the prices on their head skyrocket. This kind of product usually cannot be afforded by everyone, only fit for the high society. Jaehyun is not confident with Invictus’ financial capabilities with this one, judging by the building anticipation in the theater.

“Ah, we’re reaching the end of the show. But before that, we can’t conclude without the climax, right?” The clients cheer, filling the place with their disgusting excitement. 20 people have already been sold. Still, more clients have yet to bag their own goods.

Alessio puts a finger against his lips, silencing the bidders. “Pipe down. I need you all to calm yourselves for our last product will surely take your breath away with his value.”

Someone in the audience guesses the price, and Alessio’s reaction leaves them gaping.

“You might be undervaluing this one, Cygnus.”

Jaehyun’s eyes hardens as he straightens, staring at the closed curtains.

“Everyone! Venandi’s biggest product in 8 years!”

The curtains reopen. A cage sits in the middle of the stage and inside is a man, shirtless, body littered with tattoo, although the most dominant is the Phoenix on his chest. His wrists are tied to the grills of the cage, preventing him from moving.

Slowly, like the time has paused and the world stops revolving, Jaehyun gets up from his seat. His eyes stare at the man in the cage, the caramel hair, the scattered scars, the rings on his ear.

The man looks up, the blue eyes rocking the people to their cores.

“Red Phoenix’s heir, Ten Chittaphon!”

Gasps, whispers, moans of awe fill the venue. The Invictus members aren’t any different, talking in hushed whispers. Jaehyun is stupefied, completely frozen in his spot. Behind him, someone grunts and tells him to sit down but he pays no mind to anything else other than Ten Chittaphon in that cage, restrained like an animal.

“I’m not lying!” Alessio laughs. “Our source is a Red Phoenix member themselves. It has come to our attention that the said organization, widely known as Garnet’s only Korean partner has fallen off the grid. Gone. Obliterated. Now, their heir, previously a myth has now turned real. I was beyond astonished as well!”

Ten Chittaphon doesn’t move from where he kneels inside his prison, only staring at the people eager to put their bid on him. They’re mostly ageing, with dripping malice and wickedness in their hungry eyes as they convulse in exhilaration from their spots. He can only imagine what these people want to do with him and he would love to slice through their throats, if only he wasn’t tied and drugged to remain immobile. The last drug was injected in him in the morning and it’s almost wearing off. He only needs to wait a little longer.

“Hush, hush. I know you’re all excited but let me lay the price. It’s going to be fair, given the identity of our man. Price starts at €50,000,000!”

Jaehyun feels his legs wobble. He glances down his paddle and notices that his hands are shaking. Someone tugs him down and Doyoung leans in, whispering harshly.

“Don’t tell me you’re buying him.”

“Jaehyun, why is he here? Who set him up? He’s caged; it means it’s against his will!”

“Stop it, Winwin. How would Jaehyun know anything about this? The guy knocked him out days ago!”

Shouts of prices is what Jaehyun hears, nothing else. Invictus can’t afford Ten Chittaphon. And even so, he can’t just buy him. Why is Ten there? Who did this?

“€55,000,000!”

“€58,000,000!”

“€60,000,000!”

His heart lodges in his throat, racing a thousand miles. Jaehyun can’t move and he doesn’t know what to do. The prices are going up and someone is going to bag Ten Chittaphon and do God knows what with him.

No one else can have Ten Chittaphon but me.

“Johnny.”

“What?”

Jaehyun turns to the squad. “I need one of you to get the van. We have some weapons there. You all got your guns, right? Excellent.”

Johnny’s jaw clenches. “What are you planning?”

Jaehyun gulps, looking back at the stage. “Léonie.”

“What’s with her?”

“I promised her I’m going to help her find him. Don’t go against me, please. Not this time. Please, just go. Winwin, you know what to do. Taeyong and Yuta, stay with me. Doyoung, it’s best you wait in the van.”

His order doesn’t give them the chance to protest and soon, the others head out of the venue with a plausible excuse to the guards.

“The final check-out will take a while. They still have to come to some terms. That will buy us time to get Ten out of here.”

Taeyong worries his lip as he fidgets with the buttons of his suit. “Are you sure about this, Jaehyun? Can we really do this? Are we getting out of here alive?”

Coal black eyes dart over the guards in the far back. “Put a silencer on your guns. Taeyong, I want you to take care of the guards, alright?”

“Now?”

“Now. No one is going to notice in the back. Hide their bodies in the nearest room.”

Taeyong disappears from his side, leaving Yuta and him among the other bidders.

“Jaehyun, we didn’t talk about this. This is a spontaneous mission. My hands are a little clammy.”

The Gold-card ignores the Japanese man next to him to continue watching. The price is still going up, and it seems like it will take the whole night. None of the groups present wants to back down, their competitive nature coming out in hopes of bagging the heir of Red Phoenix.

It boils his blood, like an intravenous current has surged in his system.

Time is running. He needs to move. But there are so many people inside that he doesn’t need to mess with. He only needs to face Venandi.

Jaehyun’s phone vibrates in his pocket and he quickly checks the message.

‘All guards outside down. CCTVs deactivated.’

“€80,000,000! Going once, going twice! Sold! Ten Chittaphon sold at €80,000,000!”

The curtain closes and Ten Chittaphon is gone from his sight again. Jaehyun drags Yuta out of his seat.

“Let’s get to work.”

Ten Chittaphon sits inside a room, much like a prison cell but without windows to see the outside. The indistinct voice of Venandi’s Kingpin reaches him, but he can’t decipher what’s been said. His wrists are tied in front of him and he has a coat draped over his shoulders. The man that brought him in left, saying something about picking up his buyer to settle agreements.

The door opens and Risa comes in with a smile. He doesn’t make a single move, only regarding her with an indifferent gaze.

“How’s staying here?”

Silence.

“Did they treat you well? I told them not to lay a finger on you since the value will decrease if the item is damaged.” She comes over and checks his shoulder, pleased to see that it’s properly treated. “I’m thoughtful, right?”

“Give me a reason.”

The Japanese woman takes a few steps back. “Ten, I really liked you. Those times I was trying to get in your pants? I wasn’t pretending! I really wanted it. Also, Taeil said it would be easy to take you down when you’re vulnerable. But it was hard for me, you know. You’re not like any other.” Her finger caresses the line of his jaw, stopping on his bottom lip. “Maybe if it was someone else, they’d be in my bed in a second. But you, Ten. You never leaned into my touches. That hurts.”

“Is this to get back at me?”

“Perhaps? But I can’t live without an organization. Where am I gonna get the money to live? I don’t know what else to do. I need to secure my life. I believe if you were in my shoes, you’d do the same. I’m getting 50% of your price.” She leans in, giggly and glowing before pressing her lips on his. She receives no resistance this time, indulging herself with more before pulling away. “I heard that Taeil’s gone. Good for him. Thank you. I got my revenge for that bastard suddenly dropping me off the plan. Ah!” She lights up, pressing a finger on her lip. “Some men went to the apartment. They left with Jaejoong. You did it, right? You managed to bring him to Garnet. And you left me out. That hurts, Ten. And even though I really like you, I think you deserve this.”

She smiles wider, walking over to the small table pressed against the wall on Ten’s right. It’s only then he notices that she came in with a bag. Risa opens it, checking momentarily.

“These are your stuff. I thought I’d let you have your expensive clothes, at least. Let’s see. What else is in here…”

Ten stares at her back, twisting his wrists out of the rope. It comes off after constant wriggles, grazing his skin painfully that they turn red, and a part even bleeds. Once his hands are free from the bounds, he pulls up his pant leg and takes one of the knives still strapped in there.

There are a lot of reasons why Venandi remains where they are, never moving. They’re too confident.

“Your candies, cigarettes, and what is…?” She frowns, touching something cold beneath. A knife is what she pulls out.

“Ten–“

“Fucking bitch.” Ten yanks her head back, driving the knife down her open mouth so deep that it reaches the back of her throat, piercing through the back of her neck. Blood spurts messily, spraying over his face before he tugs out the dagger, letting her body fall pathetically on the floor.

“You’ve been giving me a fucking headache. Finafuckinglly, whore.”

Ten wears the coat and pulls out the extra knives from the bag, stepping over the corpse as he heads to the door.

Yet before he could reach it, an explosion shakes the ground, followed by two more.

Chaos starts outside. The knife thrower peers out the door, watching the clients run down the hall. Some have already collected the men and women they bought, set to escape the sudden ruckus.

It looks like Venandi has offended someone. Ten grins at the thought. It will make his escape easier.

The caramel-head follows the direction they are running off to, but was suddenly halted by a wrinkly man grabbing his wounded shoulder. A growl slips out of his lips as he faces the man.

“I bought you! Come with me!”

His eyes darken. Ten pushes the man away, about to run when he gets halted once again with a grip on his bad shoulder, and Ten turns only to throw a dagger that pierces the man between the eyes.

Before he can make another move, Venandi men block his way. Kai stands between them with a gun and when Ten peers past the group, he sees their Kingpin’s body on the floor, gray and lifeless, lying in his own pool of blood.

“Going somewhere, pretty boy?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh? Where?” Kai cocks his gun, pointing it at Ten.

The knife thrower raises both hands as he puts up a front of submission before letting the men approach him.

All the while, his eyes are on the Venandi gunman.

“Dans ta tombe.”

A gunshot resonates and Kai falls to the ground as a puddle of blood forms beneath his head. 

Ten looks up, meeting Jung Jaehyun’s eyes as the sharpshooter takes down the rest of the Venandi men around him. Yuta appears behind the Gold-card, stepping over Alessio.

“Come on! Johnny looks like he intends to turn this place to dust!”

Another explosion deafens them. Without wasting time, Jaehyun grabs Ten’s hand as they run out of the theater, brushing past the crowd. Onlookers have gathered outside, and sirens ring in the air. Jaehyun finds their van a few feet away and pushes Ten unceremoniously inside once they reach it.

“Sicheng!”

Jaehyun calls for the arsonist. Thick black smoke billows from the roof of the theater and the van speeds out of the scene the second Winwin dives in, chest heaving as he coughs out.

“Holy fuck, I got a little carried away. More people are trapped inside; most of them are the Venandi guys.” The arsonist continues to wheeze, leaning against Yuta.

“Is anyone hurt?” Taeyong opens the kits, rummaging inside.

Jaehyun glances at the man next to him. Ten is twitching so badly, gasping sharply for oxygen. “Taeyong, he’s hyperventilating.” His palm flies up to Ten’s forehead and Jaehyun frowns at the abnormal heat. “He’s got a fever.”

The nurse finds a paper bag and quickly hands it to Jaehyun. “Make him breathe in there for five minutes. I’ll check his temperature when we get back.”

There’s nothing else he can do but follow the instruction. Jaehyun sits back, glancing at the shrinking image of the theater burning down as they drive away from the wrath of pandemonium.

***

“Just take the medicine, Ten. I’m not going to poison you.”

“How do I know that?”

“Listen,” Jaehyun sighs, rubbing a hand down his face. “Do I look like I’m going to kill you? You’re the one who knocked me out cold nights ago–“

“Ah so we’re blaming each other right now.”

“Just fucking take this!” Jaehyun grips the other’s jaw and forcibly opens it before popping the medicine in Ten’s mouth. The caramel-head grunts as he swallows the pill dry.

“See? Is that so hard?”

The thermometer beeps and Taeyong quickly checks it. “39⁰. Why the hell are you sick?”

“It’s fucking snowing, you fucking midget. Get me some damn blankets.” The gruff tone makes Winwin rush to his bedroom to fetch the covers, carelessly tossing it to the knife thrower.

They’re all staring at the heir of Red Phoenix with so many questions in their heads, but one thing is for sure: they all want to know why he’s being auctioned.

Johnny breaks the silence. “Well, that was invigorating. Like I actually got to do something for real this time. Who knows we were going to come for Venandi instead of Garnet, right?” He could almost hear an imaginary squawk of crows from how quiet the house is. Johnny has to add an awkward laugh to the already awkward atmosphere.

Jaehyun wants to laugh at the ridiculous situation they are in. It’s so preposterous that he can’t even form a coherent sentence and say something to the knife thrower whom he had thought finally vanished right after that stunt the latter pulled on him.

But everything has to come to a conclusion. They all need clarity.

“Why were you there?”

Ten brings his legs against his chest, in need of more warmth. The thick covers aren’t doing much to lessen the shivers wracking his body. He feels the fabric get lifted off of him and he almost bursts in anger, until Taeyong starts cutting through his bandage to redress the wound.

“If I tell you, are you gonna believe me?”

“If you only tell the truth.”

He feels all eyes on him. Ten’s hand twitches and he brings the clenched fist against his mouth. “Risa Uehara sold me to Venandi.”

“Wait- Risa?”

“She’s alive. Or well, she was until I fucking put a knife down her throat. That whore was insufferable; I don’t know why I hadn’t killed her already. But yeah, she was alive. The doctor, Kim Jaejoong was with her. They wanted to join Garnet but,” The knife thrower starts laughing, his body shaking with bubbling giggles in his chest until he doubles over, clutching his stomach while tears brim in his eyes. “That fucking whore was denied access! Why?” Ten looks at each of them. “Someone told them they were merely trespassers. See, Kim Jaejoong is innocent, alright. He got dragged into the mess. The guy helped her out of the HQ when Dragonaire raided it. No choice, eh, he discovered the truth.” Ten looks Jaehyun in the eyes. “Ask me.”

“What’s the truth?”

“Those proposals that were transferred illegally, Moon Taeil did them. He conspired with Dragonaire since they promised to give him a stronger position. But I doubt they’d actually do that when they had a perfectly functioning heir even though Kim Jaeseok didn’t seem like the actual second-in-command. They targeted Red Phoenix because they wanted to strengthen their local status by reaching out to Garnet. But I fucked it up, yeah? I killed Jaeseok, their plan was halted and I killed Taejun. Moon Taeil brought the proposals to Fort and said that Red Phoenix didn’t want the partnership anymore. Fort was kind of a fool there, alright. He didn’t check. But that’s understandable; he was blessed with a sudden surge of money using the projects to partner up with Casanov. If he was told Red Phoenix didn’t want him, then why would he hold on? But before you ask, I’m telling you now. Moon Taeil is dead. You’re welcome.”

The revelation leaves them all gaping like fools. Yuta blinks rapidly, still processing the onslaught of information. “Moon Taeil. How the fuck did you find Moon Taeil?”

Ten clicks his tongue. “If you wanna fucking lead Invictus, don’t dwell on the only thing that’s in front of you. Because more often than not, those sparkly shits you look at are hiding the less inviting stuff. At the gala. You were so concentrated on Fort that you missed Moon Taeil right outside the hall. Then Fort announced his partnership with Casanov. That’s how I knew someone else was fucking up Red Phoenix. It was strange, alright? Why would Moon Taeil suddenly pop out working for Garnet when no one had heard of him during those two weeks we were in the hideout back in Seoul? That none of you saw him back in the warehouse when you were captured? Seriously, no one thought of that? You just assumed he’s dead?”

Doyoung looks away. Ten scoffs.

“You guys are overconfident. And you think I can’t fucking be of help to you just because I’m sick in the head.”

No one speaks for what seems like eternity, until Jaehyun does it. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Biting his thumb, Ten peers up the younger. “I told you I didn’t do it. You were so far up your own ass that you didn’t think of the possibility that someone else had done it. You wanted me to admit to something I didn’t do to satisfy your ego and make you think you’re right. Now you easily believe me? Why? You pitied me back there in the cage? I’m surprised you guys are even letting me talk right now. Though I don’t give a shit if you kick me out right after.”

Taeyong finishes redressing his wound and drapes the covers on his back. “Where’s Moon Taeil’s body? Risa Uehara? We would like to confirm it.”

“Uehara was there at the venue; you burned it down. Moon Taeil’s at a rundown garage, I forgot the address. I can bring you there if you want, but I doubt his body’s still there. If you don’t believe me, just go to Fort. At least he can confirm Moon Taeil’s deception.”

Jaehyun tugs the covers down and takes a closer look at the bruise forming on the side of the knife thrower’s neck. “Who did that?”

“Some Venandi bastard. They were drugging me that was why I couldn’t escape.”

The Invictus heir backs off with his hands on his hips to look at the scene before him. All this time, Ten was innocent. He had actually dug down to the root cause of Red Phoenix’s demise by himself while Jaehyun focused on his own, selfish goals. If he didn’t single out the other from the beginning, maybe none of this discord would happen. If only he didn’t resent Ten so much to the point that he was even willing to kill him at one point.

“What now?” The blue-eyed man looks up at him.

“I don’t know. You need… you need to get help, Ten.”

Ten stares, unblinking. “What are you saying?”

Jaehyun takes a deep breath, slowly exhaling. “You need to stay in a mental–“

“I won’t fucking do that!” Ten springs out of his seat and lunges at Jaehyun, pressing the younger against the wall. Jaehyun motions the others to back off. “You’re not gonna fucking lock me up there!”

“You’re unstable, Ten! No one’s going to watch you to keep you from killing! You murdered those people at the club! And for what? Because you felt like it! You can’t keep killing people without a reason!”

Ten growls, pressing his arm harder against Jaehyun’s throat. “Do I need a fucking reason?! You keep fucking meddling with my life!”

“Ten?”

All heads turn to the owner of the voice. Léonie stands from a distance, eyes wide and glistening. She looks like she’s about to collapse to the ground, leaning her weight against the wall with her hands pressed on her chest.

“I woke up, it was so loud. I heard fighting- Ten? Did you come here for me?” Her eyes suddenly pin on Jaehyun just as a tear rolls down her cheek. “You found him for me?”

Ten only stares at her with utter disbelief in his wide, blue eyes. He then glances back at Jaehyun before looking back at his mother. “You were with Invictus?”

“Y-yes, bu-“

“You were with fucking Invictus all this time? While they were out to fucking kill me, accusing me shit? You were fucking here all this time, Léonie?! What a fucking mother you are!”

The knife thrower’s arm leaves Jaehyun as the former pulls out a knife from his leg strap. Jaehyun’s eyes widen, seeing what the other’s about to do and quickly grabs Ten’s arm just as the other aims for Léonie, dragging the knife down and stabbing the caramel-head on his flank.

Ten’s eyes, shaky and blown, stare at Jaehyun a few seconds before he drops on his knees on the floor. Jaehyun quickly holds him as the woman wails from where she is being held by Taeyong. They can’t risk it; Ten is still holding the knife as it’s impaled in his body.

“Ten,” Jaehyun cradles the other’s head. The others remain where they are with horrified faces. Winwin walks out, followed by Yuta. Johnny stays frozen in the middle of the living room. “Ten, you need to stop, alright? You need to stop now…” His voice breaks. Jaehyun cups the older’s cheek, staining it with his bloodied hand. “Everything is so exhausting…”

The caramel-head only stares while his body twitches involuntarily. His body is burning, his side even more so. All of a sudden he doesn’t hear anything else, only the static in his ear. It’s like everything has finally fallen into place. He’s reaching the end of his own game.

“H-hey, Jaehyun,”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you keep killing me?” Ten stammers, like a dam is on the way to burst. “Why do you keep hurting me, Jaehyun? What did I do to you?”

Jaehyun doesn’t have an answer.

It aggravates the bleeding man in his arms. “Why the fuck do you wanna kill me?!” A wince follows after his outburst, and more blood drips on the floor.

The scene breaks his heart into a million pixels. He never wished to be the one to kill Ten, not anymore. Jaehyun holds it all back, preventing himself from breaking down. Only the weak breaks down, his father once said. He never cried when his mother died, he never cried when he sprained his ankle when learning how to ride a bike, he never cried when he first lost the chance to prove himself to his father.

But why does he want to break down all of his walls and cry for Ten, for Ten not to die, for Ten not leave him, when all he did was push Ten away?

Why does it hurt so fucking much that he finds it hard to breathe, hard to look away from those blue eyes dulling slowly?

Wasn't Ten the one who was supposed to kill him and not the other way around?

“Jaehyun..”

Jaehyun blinks through the tears. They’ve already cascaded down his face. “What?”

“You still like my hair even if it’s short?”

It’s perplexing how the other still manages to talk steadily. Even in the brink of death, Ten Chittaphon refuses to be weak.

“Of course.”

“Good. ‘Cause it seems like you won’t see it grow anymore.” Ten’s eyes flutter close, and his breathing slows down. Jaehyun holds him tighter. “Will you say it?”

“Say what?”

“That you like me?”

“I like you.” Unequivocal, genuine, not a split second wasted.

Laughter spills amidst the groans. “You’re fucking stupid.”

Jaehyun hears the sound of ringing siren, just as Ten’s hand drops to his side.

EPILOGUE

It’s a busy day. The malls are bustling as people do their last-minute shopping spree for Christmas. Twinkling lights of assorted color hang from the walls and ceilings and a tall Christmas tree, 10 feet in height is situated in the middle of the ground floor. Fake presents surround the foot of the tree and families with their little kids take pictures to solidify a good memory.

Jaehyun watches them for a while. It’s busy back in the HQ as well, but for a different reason. None of them knows a holiday break in their calendars. They don’t have families to go home to, at least most of them. He has his father but the other has the same workaholic mindset: A day out of the HQ keeps the money away.

He snorts at the memory. His father told him that when he was young, when he begged the old man to let him join the group. Jaehyun was a distracted boy who couldn’t keep his attention on one thing. His father had been worried that he wouldn’t be able to take the work seriously.

Now, he has finally proven him wrong. Invictus has changed their status to a first-rate mafia organization, partnered with Garnet for being the distributors of Asian women in Europe, and primary drug dealers all over Asia. He had tried his luck and came back to France, explaining everything to Fort. Casanov was against it. It was huge money taken away from them. But Garnet was stronger, knowing they were at fault too and had convinced Casanov to cut their ties, and the former paid a hefty penalty for the contract termination. Invictus had started catering to Red Phoenix’s previous clients, expanding their network.

Invictus has replaced Red Phoenix for being the only Korean partner group of Garnet.

Tonight, he will be on a flight back to France for a meeting with Fort. It’s regarding the sales and other concerns that they cannot just discuss through a video conference.

It’s been two years. Two years since Red Phoenix’s demise, two years since the failure in Paris, two years since that night with Ten Chittaphon…

Jaehyun shakes off the memory. He can’t be distracted. With one last glance at the Christmas tree, the new Kingpin of Invictus walks ahead, excited to give his presents to the squad – now his personal advisers. They still do field missions when necessary.

A paper bag containing a woman’s dress hits his leg at every movement. Jaehyun had warmed up to Léonie. She’s like the mother he lost.

His phone rings. Jaehyun pulls it out, frowning immediately when he recognizes the number from the private asylum.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Jung! Something happened!”

“What is it?” Jaehyun enters the parking lot, stopping right next to his car.

“Patient 47 has escaped! Please come over. We’re sorry we fa-“

He quickly hangs up, cutting off the call. Jaehyun unlocks the car and tosses the bags to the passenger’s seat, quickly buckling up. A few curses slip out of his mouth.

“God, right on Christmas of all days!”

He almost collides to an SUV when he steps on the brake abruptly. Jaehyun’s body grows rigid, unmoving as he catches sight of a mop of caramel hair from his periphery.

Ten Chittaphon leans forward from his position in the backseat, tilting his head to the side in an eerie manner as a wide smile adorns his face. His long hair, now reaching the middle of his chest touch Jaehyun’s arm, tickling the skin.

“Merry Christmas, Jaehyun. Did you miss me?” 


	3. Lionheart

Hours.

It has been several hours since they called an ambulance and Ten underwent an immediate surgery. Hours, since Jaehyun thought his chest would burst from how bad it constricted and he couldn’t breathe thinking he had lost Ten forever. Hours, since he started regretting everything from the beginning, when he thought leaving the other was the best option to take. Hours, since the thick, metallic blood had seeped through the fabric of his suit and had now dried up.

And it already feels like a lifetime since he had Ten in his arms, almost saying farewell.

Jaehyun finds himself in a private room where the caramel-head lies unconscious between white sheets, sleeping and looking peaceful, a stark contrast to his raging emotions earlier. He looks pale, like the life was drained out of him. Jaehyun glances up at the ceiling, hazy eyes squinting against the fluorescent light. The familiar, repetitive ticking of the clock calls for him, to make him look and see for himself how late it is, that it isn’t long before the sun rises – or maybe the sun’s already up but he doesn’t know, he has long lost track of time and soon his body will be screaming for him to shut down..

But he won’t allow it, can’t afford it. Leaving Ten without so much as a simple goodbye or the much preferred ‘see you later’ is just going to repeat the cycle. What if Ten wakes up and finds that he’s all alone in this room, with no one to call and ask what the hell just happened? What if Ten wakes up and misunderstands Jaehyun’s absence? It’s only going to continue what they left – the mess, the pain, the betrayal. All of it was the sharpshooter’s fault. He can’t afford to leave Ten’s side for now, even if it’s just for a second. A second is a second too long.

His mind is swarmed with thoughts, questions and future scenarios he has to prepare for that he doesn’t notice the soft creaking of the door as it opens and welcomes Yuta. Jaehyun only notices the other when he feels another presence sit next to him, and for the first time since entering this room, his eyes looks somewhere else other than the light and Ten’s immobility in the bed.

Yuta looks just as exhausted.

“Aren’t you going home?”

Again, he refuses to look at the time. He’s scared that if he does, he’d be tempted to do something – anything, whether it’s to go for a bathroom break, to eat, to check on the others outside. Because in those moments, Ten might wake up and think Jaehyun doesn’t care, never cared.

The last time he was in a hospital, waiting for a miracle was when his mother was in her deathbed. Memories flash back, and Jaehyun recalls clinging to her hand, feeling a little sad, but nothing more than that. They were never close. Yet still, his young heart ached because she was his mother, and their flesh and blood were connected.

This time, nothing of his is related to Ten Chittaphon, but Jaehyun won’t question any longer why he hurts more, why it feels like his chest was pummeled numerous times and his lungs were ripped out of his inside. The answer lingers in the back of his mind, but it’s too overwhelming to acknowledge at the moment. Besides, he just confessed not long ago.

Actually, Jaehyun doesn’t even know if Ten was asking what he thought the other was asking. Is it romantically, or platonically, like the older was so persistent on trying with him? It’s probably the latter. Though, he won’t admit it out loud – but Jaehyun confessed for  _both_ possibilities.

Strange.

A nudge pulls him out of his reverie. Realizing he hasn’t responded yet, Jaehyun clears his throat and wearily sighs, digging the heel of his palm down his eye to rub it off of sleep. “No. I need to settle some things with the doctor and the director. And everybody else running this hospital. They already know they can’t report it; I mentioned my identity instead, because I know he wouldn’t wanna be exposed.” Jaehyun nods, nods at something uncertain, like he’s trying to convince the Japanese that’s all he’s got to do hence why he can’t go just yet.  “I just need them to name the price.”

Of course he’s not a good liar and Yuta will see through his lies. He’s already done those things when Ten was taken to the surgery room, and when the doctor was done with the operation. Everything has been settled. He’s Jung Jaehyun and he doesn’t waste a second. If Yuta does realize all the bullshit he just spewed out, then he shall be glad the Japanese isn’t calling him out.

Yuta stares, scans his soul before averting his gaze. It lands on the sleeping lump in bed. “Your father is going to question the bank transaction and it isn’t even for anything we initially planned…or the purchase of those goods from Venandi.”

They both hear a scoff of disbelief. It came from the Invictus heir. “Yuta… Do you really think I’d still be concerning myself with anything related to Venandi at this point?” Incredulity drips in his tone as thick as it shows on his face. “They caged him like a dog and tried to sell him off. We can look for another alternative. The world is too big for us to run out of resources.”

“Well we had one but you blew it off for hi-“

Loud noises fill the room as Jaehyun flares out of his seat, the feet of the chair grating against the tiled floor. Yuta doesn’t get to finish his sentence because Jaehyun’s hands are gripping his shirt and he’s abruptly, carelessly pushed up against the wall with a ticking time bomb cornering him. At that moment, Yuta knew he fucked up.

“If it isn’t clear to you yet then I’ll tell you now.” Jaehyun seethes and he’s holding himself back so hard that his knuckles turn white over Yuta’s dark shirt. “I’m done pretending. I’m done denying. I get that all of you hate him, you’ve been with him longer than I did, seen his ugly sides more times than I did, but I’m done with it. I’m tired of it. I almost killed Ten, Yuta.” His voice cracks. Jaehyun lets go of the Japanese man and plops down his seat, shoulders sagging in resignation. “I wouldn’t be here, telling you lies about how I still have to talk to the doctors rather than going back to Gambetta to get some fucking sleep with the rest of you if he didn’t become unexpectedly and strangely important to me. We tried to get rid of him but what did it do us? Huh?” His eyes meet Yuta’s pair of equally tired ones. “Is it any good? Are we in a relatively good shape? Did Invictus magically rise up from its current rate? I messed up  _so_ bad.”

Silence falls in between them, eventually veiling the whole room. Ten is still asleep, surprisingly unaffected by the sudden noise. It’s probably due to the anesthesia. Jaehyun wouldn’t want to greet the other with yet another commotion.

It’s a minute or two later when Yuta breaks the silence, now completely calmed. “It’s just…” He pauses, trying to rummage his brain for the right words to say. He gives up empty-handed. “I can’t understand it. How could you feel something for someone like  _him_?”

“I can’t answer a question I, too, do not understand. I can only accept what’s already here.” Ten’s chest rises and falls steadily, and as Jaehyun follows its movement with his eyes, he feels himself calming down, finding peace within himself. “It’s weird, I know. But please,” Yuta meets his gaze and somehow they forget that they were about to lay a hand on each other a few minutes ago. “I’ll make it up to all of you. I’ll talk to Garnet, whenever I can, however I can. Just let me keep Ten.”

He receives no response pertaining to his plea, but he knows Yuta has no say in it when it involves something deeper than anything they could fathom. Actually, Jaehyun didn’t need to ask for permission. Because they all know at the end of the day it is Jaehyun’s call that they will follow when it comes to Ten Chittaphon. Only Jaehyun can handle him anyway, so he’ll be the one to decide what to do. Yuta is only having a hard time accepting what’s already in front of him.

“Léonie wants to see him.”

Léonie. Right. She was too out of it to see her son earlier, crying her eyes out and pacing back and forth as she prayed to all the gods out there to save the soul of her son which already burned long ago in hell.

“God,” Jaehyun rubs a hand down his face. “I almost forgot about her. Can you please tell her to come here?”

“Sure.” Yuta turns to go, but looks back at the younger when his name was called.

“Thank you.”

A ghost of a smile draws itself on the Japanese shooter’s face before the door clicks as it closes and Jaehyun is alone again. It isn’t long before another presence joins his in watching over the knocked out patient.

 Léonie, with her worn visage and uncombed brown tresses takes the chair that Yuta was occupying and her hand covers Ten’s own, rubbing it with the pad of her thumb. Everything about her is too gentle in Jaehyun’s eyes that if he ever receives the touch of a mother Ten Chittaphon has been dismissing, he’s sure that he’ll break even more. She’s too gentle to the point that it hurts to watch, and with every stroke of her thumb on Ten’s hand, Jaehyun’s heart breaks into a thousand pieces.

_How does it feel to be comforted?_

“Ten,”

He watches her as she calls for him in the same, smooth voice, devoid of any signs of age.

“Ethan. If you can hear me, please believe me… I never stopped thinking of you,” Her voice breaks but she continues on as though she was always strong, never weak. “Never stopped wondering where you were. Let’s talk when you wake up, hm?”

Clearing his throat to cut through the sentimental moment, Jaehyun calls her attention. “Léonie. We need to talk.”

Coldness and hollow emptiness fill his chest when the hand covering Ten’s disappear. Jaehyun feels like he’d taken away such right and luxury from Ten for himself. So he looks away, looks into her eyes instead and tries not to dwell on the pain and longing dancing in her pupils.

 “Is this about how you knew all along and still didn’t tell me?”

“I–“

The broken smile prevents him from explaining. “I forgive you. There must be reasons. No one liked my son; even I used to despise him. I’m just happy you found him.”

Jaehyun nods, glad and speechless from the forgiveness he doesn’t deserve. He changes the subject right away to go on to a more pressing matter – the truth about their way of living and the root cause of this mess. “Then I shall talk about Red Phoenix, Garnet and Invictus. Your late husband, Lee Namgyu was a first-rate mafia boss. You know what a mafia is, I believe? A third-rate group called Dragonaire managed to wipe out Red Phoenix with the help of a traitor, except for me and a few others. I’m originally from Invictus, Red Phoenix’s second-rate subordinate before I joined the organization of your late husband. I…”

He stops, weighing his options. Should he tell her the truth, every detail of his plan to abandon her son and antagonize him just to fulfill his personal wishes? Honestly, he doesn’t have a lot to lose. Léonie has all the right to slap the sense in him.

“I didn’t want him with us,” Slowly, he tells her more. The emotions in her eyes do not change and he takes it as a good sign. “I thought he was a burden. I tried to carry out our plan excluding him, abandoning him when he told me he hated his father for doing it to him, I made him out to be this vile person that would only pull me down. We headed here to talk to Garnet for a partnership, to save what we could of what was left of Red Phoenix. Hell,” Jaehyun chuckles, head shaking as he recalls the absurdity of his actions. “I only took you with us because I thought Ten was in Korea and if he saw you, he’d find me eventually and ruin my plans. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want him to do that. Then coincidentally he was here too. Long story short, we clashed. I was trying to get away. But your son…he’s,” His hands move, trying to emphasize and put a stronger volume and impact in his words. “He’s like a shadow, you know. Wherever I am, he’s there. He meant no harm. I judged him. I  _demonized_ him. Now we’re here. I’m… I guess what I really wanna say is I’m,” Tears cloud his vision and Jaehyun rapidly blinks them away, refusing to display another episode of weakness. “I’m  _very, truly_ sorry. I couldn’t save your husband, your daughter, and I hurt Ten. I’d been so far up my own ass – sorry for the language – too focused on myself to listen and understand. I did all of this. I’m sorry.”

“I wish I could say I was surprised with this revelation, about my husband’s job, at least. But I’ve known, I figured out when I was taken by those men…” Trailing off as memories of the past flash across the back of her mind, Léonie breathes deeply, once, twice, and Jaehyun hesitantly rubs her back soothingly, a poor effort at comforting. He’s done a good job, though, because she’s sending him a grateful smile. “Well, they wanted my son, but how would I know where he exactly was? He disappeared, Namgyu had taken him away and told me not to mind him and appeased us with some money. How would I know Ethan had turned into…into this? But it’s my fault too, right? I let it happen. I wasn’t a good mother.”

“He was with me during that time. Namgyu ordered me to take him away because…because the Dragonaire men was after him for a reason I think I should just keep. I don’t know how you’ll take it.”

“Sir Jaehyun,” She pleads, despairing. “My son is lying unconscious in bed, in the hospital. I think I deserve to know what brought him into that situation. He was….he was a careless boy, much more than that. Uncaring and had a mind of his own. I wouldn’t be surpri–“

“He murdered Dragonaire’s heir.” Jaehyun deadpans. “He wasn’t supposed to but he felt like it.”

Maybe he shouldn’t have said it. Maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned it at all. Léonie looks utterly horrified, her hands trembling as they cover her mouth in shock. But she recovers later with a few deep breaths. It seems like it’s her way of coping up with the terrors.

“That’s just one of many, I suppose. He was under Red Phoenix’s tolerance. It’s mainly the reason why he was picked up by Lee Namgyu’s men. Our world is far more evil than all the demons combined. And we’re not leaving it anytime soon so I guess you just have to play deaf and blind to the things around you.”

Sitting next to each other with nothing else to talk about, they both resort to watching Ten Chittaphon who’s still yet to wake up. Jaehyun is starting to think the other’s just enjoying his much needed sleep, or a very talented actor that looks like he’s sleeping on the outside but very much alive on the inside, internally feasting on the conversation he’s been listening to. It’s so Ten Chittaphon to find joy at Jaehyun’s expense. He’ll bet when the caramel-head wakes up, the first thing he’d do is talk about his importance that the shooter had mentioned to Yuta. Ten will embarrass him in all the ways possible.

Jaehyun is already dreading it.

Right then, a thought comes into his mind. “You’ve mentioned the name Ethan twice. Is it…?”

“It’s his birth name. I wasn’t creative with Korean names and he’s my firstborn so I just told the nurse to name him Ethan because it was the first thing that came to my mind. These nurses…they should avoid asking the mother right after pushing out a human being. I was exhausted, limped like a dried leaf.” The memory of hearing her son’s first cry brings a nostalgic smile on her face, one that looks brighter than the ones she had moments earlier. “I don’t think he’s actually using it. Back then, whenever I called him by his birth name, he’d snarl at me and demand I call him by the name his father gave him. He didn’t know, but he looked up to Namgyu more than he’d ever admit.”  

Ten is much more vulnerable, Jaehyun muses. He’s been too focused on his own hostility towards the older that he completely dismissed all possibilities of humanity that the knife thrower ever had. When they met, Ten was already a living dead and Jaehyun was too self-centered to understand.

“No, he’s not using that name. Everyone calls him Ten.”

“It suits him.”

And once again, they fall into comfortable peace and quiet with only the monotonous beeping of machines echoing against the four walls of the room. A heavy, gnawing feeling desperately reminds Jaehyun of another impending concern that he will inevitably have to face. He grumbles softly, remembering that it’s one of the reasons why Ten has gone out of control.

“Léonie, he needs professional help. You’ve only seen a small percentage of it. It’s gotten so bad to the point that even I had to use violence to control him. I’m gonna focus on Invictus and I can’t be there for him all the time.”

“I know.” Her hand returns to cup Ten’s, and she leans to give it a kiss. When she continues to talk, her eyes don’t look at Jaehyun, only observing the rarity of peace and calm on her son. Love, adoration, guilt and regret drip from her eyes, and Jaehyun understands. As much as she’s changed, her negligence and lack of care from the past brought up a troubled man. “I trust you to do whatever you think is good for him. But none of those that will give him pain, alright?”

Jaehyun nods, looking down in guilt. “I still have to convince him again, though. Because If I force him, then we’ll have a reprise of what transpired prior to this. He’s just going to do everything in his power to defy me. And when I say everything in his power, it’s endless.”

“It sounds like you’ve gone through a lot with him that it makes me feel a little jealous, since you’ve seen the best and worst of my son, something that I took advantage of.” Her words are meant to be taken in jest, but it still pricks something inside of him.

A laugh of embarrassment bubbles up from his chest, coupled with the red dusting his cheeks. Embarrassed? Jaehyun needs to reevaluate it. It’s more like…. _mortified._ Léonie is right. Jaehyun has seen the best of Ten Chittaphon, but not in the way she expects.  _God,_  why did he have to think of  _those_ intimacies they shared in such time? He needs sleep. He badly needs it.

“Uh, not really. But the few things we went through are enough to tell me I can never remove him from my life.”

Her question takes him off-guard. “Do you want to?”

“What?”

“To get away from him. Do you still want to?”

Ten looks so gentle and incapable of hurting a fly at the moment that Jaehyun wants to laugh. If the other was fine, out of the hospital bed and kicking, doing what he’s used to do and in his natural element, then Jaehyun would have to consider Léonie’s question again. But Jaehyun has realized he was stupid and even if Ten Chittaphon was never hurt, even if Ten Chittaphon was out committing cold blood murder, Jaehyun would still find himself falling into the other’s trap, no matter how far he runs.

“Even if I do it over and over, I know I’ll still be concerning myself with him. Ten is a magnet. A dangerous magnet I can’t separate myself from.” He doesn’t know what it is that made him look at her but when he does, Jaehyun wishes he never let his unconscious reflexes take the best of him. “What… why are you smiling?”

“He needs you.” Léonie says with a matter-of-fact tone. “Actually, I think you both need each other. I’ve seen so much before in my own time to doubt what I’m seeing.”

Thunder claps in his heart, roaring and overwhelming. She saw through him so easily, like he was an open book  _begging_ to be read, to be analyzed. Jaehyun anxiously scratches his cheek as he tries to come up with an excuse. Léonie beats him to his plan, patting his arm.

“It’s okay. You’ll figure it out. You’re a wise man, sir Jaehyun. A wise man commits a mistake for he’s still human, and to err is natural, but a wise man learns from the same mistake to correct it through a way he knows best.”

Jaehyun watches her lean over, resting the upper part of her body on the bed. Her folded arms serve as a pillow to her head and then the blue eyes that used to be dull are now radiant as a new light, catching a sparkle when she looks at her son before they close to give them a rest.

“You know what he needs most. Please give it to him.”

He knows it. She didn’t need to say it. Jaehyun knows what Ten needs. The thing is, is Ten willing to accept it? Is Jaehyun capable of providing it?

 _Horrifying_.

That’s the only thing he could pluck from his wilting mind. Whatever he’s harboring for the older is an uncharted territory, never been seen, never been felt. But it’s only one of the many things Jaehyun will discover once he decides it’s worth knowing.

And he will. He will.

 

0o0o0

 

A new year has come.

What he sees in front of him is a vast difference from what he saw when two strange men took him from the club that night. Red Phoenix was glorious, screaming wealth and power and status. It sored high, taller than anyone that he remembered widening his eyes as it adjusted through the glaring darkness just to catch a glimpse where the rooftop ended. He was most likely exaggerating it. He was just 19, clueless of his father’s whereabouts, of his father’s nature, and enraged from the murder he just committed.

To him, Red Phoenix was a classy prison cell.

Invictus is new to him – new in every aspect starting from its appearance. Its size doesn’t compare, its aura doesn’t compare but a new year has come, and what stands before him is his new prison cell, downgraded and less extravagant.

The sound of the car door closing makes his head ache even more. An SUV, the one that picked them up from the airport drives past them. Ten follows Jaehyun past automatic glass doors, one hand touching his still healing abdomen. His pace is slow and as much as he wants to keep the weakness from showing, Ten still aches all over like he was ran over and flipped countless times. It’s probably the long flight and cramped muscles.

 _Well it’s a good thing they got centralized air-condition,_ his mind says when they continue to walk down the corridor looking too unfamiliar to him. It’s his first time stepping into Invictus and wide, curious eyes roam around before landing on the wide back of Jung Jaehyun.

They’ve stopped walking. Ten didn’t even notice.

_What a distraction._

“Hey,” Jaehyun is now looking at him, seriousness and all. It almost looks funny to Ten because it reeks of professionalism and authority and he can’t mess up in here since it’s not exactly his territory. Damn, he does miss Red Phoenix – quite a bit. “We should talk later, after I meet my father.”

“Sure.” His own voice sounds gravelly. “Where do you want me to stay?”

Ten is already looking around once again, ignoring a few curious stares from Invictus employees when Doyoung makes an entrance, the former Red Phoenix Gold card stopping in his tracks at the sight of the two men. The rest of the squad and Léonie had returned to Korea a few days earlier with Jaehyun’s insistence to stay with the caramel-head until the latter was allowed to go. They’ve already spared him the hell of breaking all the news to his father, tearing a few thorns from his throat.

“Doyoung?”

The owner of the name sighs, approaching. “Let me guess. You need me to babysit.”

A sound of a finger snapping takes both of their attention. Ten has a blank look on his face, like the usual, as he stares Doyoung right in the eyes. “Tell me if you want me to attack you or something. I can’t detect the urge since I’m  _sick_ , nanny. Take care of me, will ya? Heh.” Then his mouth curves into a smile, empty of genuine excitement. His hand only leaves his side to wipe the bead of sweat on his temple.

Odd. It’s not even remotely hot inside the building.

Jaehyun ignores the other’s abnormality. “I’ve already alerted everyone about him. So take him to my room first and  _stay_ with him, Doyoung. We can’t let him wander while unstable.”

He receives a snort at that. “How thoughtful of you. Am I allowed to see Léonie? I believe we have yet to settle our  _misunderstandings._ ” The word rolls off his tongue with malice and if Jaehyun didn’t know the man next to him, he’d think Ten was serious. The man is trying to irk him.

“I’ll let you talk to her once you’re fine.” Jaehyun then turns to Doyoung who wears boredom all over his face. “Go now. I got a battle to fight with my father.”

“Sounds hot,” Jaehyun is already walking away as Ten speaks. “Meet me when you want to de-stress!”

“Come here.” A strong hand wraps around his arm and begins to pull him to an adjacent hallway.

Ten hisses. “Be careful! Fuckin’ Bugs Bunny.”

Doyoung doesn’t loosen the grip around his arm. Ten keeps his mouth shut instead, no energy to fight it off as they both get into an elevator. It stops too soon at the third floor where the sleeping quarters are, not giving Ten some time to let his mind wander – it won’t be going very far anyway since he has no knowledge of the place.

Letting the other drag him, Ten resorts to counting the steps – from the elevator to the room wherever he’s going to be taken – just in case. Even back in Red Phoenix, he had memorized the number of steps it’d take anyone from a certain place to another. For example, the distance of the elevator at the end of the hall in the 5th floor and the torture chamber is 30 steps. All of this comes in handy for someone like Ten, especially when he doesn’t want people catching him when he escapes an important meeting, or when an enemy is right on his tail. It buys him time and a whole lot more that only he will benefit anyway, thanks to his…unique mindset.

Stopping in front of a gray door, the numbers in his head stop counting as well as though on cue. 25 steps. Doyoung enters a code that Ten frowns upon when the lock deactivates with a soft click.  _Jaehyun gave his password to this nerd twig? Outrageous. We have to talk about that._

“As much as we both hate this, I really can’t disobey Jaehyun. I also wouldn’t want to see you wreak havoc on your first day here, especially when he’s out to beg his father to let you stay. You’re special, aren’t you?”

The bed is not as soft as the one he had in Red Phoenix. Ten bounces slightly, testing it before scooting ‘til the headboard with his back pressed on it. “Oh boohoo, Kim Doyoung. You could fuck me up in here and still, you wouldn’t feel an ounce of regret. Because when Jaehyun sees my beat state, caused by you, there’s no one else to blame but me, am I correct?” The taunting grin on his face aggravates the other, as seen by the sudden trembling of Doyoung’s fists. “But that won’t happen. Because before you could even think of doing it, I’d already have your head rolling down the fuckin’ stairs. So quit hating me, you know that won’t amount to anything. And please,” He beckons the other to sit which Doyoung surprisingly follows, taking the swivel chair by the desk. “He begged as well when he brought his little squad back in this second-rate org. Don’t make me think you’re being a jackass jealous girlfriend now, Doyoung.”

The insinuation makes Doyoung’s eyes widen as he splutters a bit, quickly wiping off the spit on the corner of his mouth. “What the hell? Listen, I’m not gay and even if I was, I wouldn’t be getting it on with anyone within the squad, Get that through your rotten skull, okay?”

“Cool.” Ten folds up his legs and ignores the protest from his injury as he hunches forward to wrap both arms around his legs, not taking his eyes away from Doyoung. “You’re not supposed to take what’s mine.”

“Gross. I’m not about the homosexual life.”

With a nettling giggle, Ten provokes once more, “How homophobic of you, Kim. Who knows, when you have a penchant for great, strong authoritative figures.”

“What–“

“Shh. Your secret is safe with me. The way you looked at those businessmen that dropped by for meetings with Lee Namgyu? Tch. It’s okay. We’re all allowed to appreciate.”

Doyoung is already pissed beyond anything, but he can never act on it. If he was Yuta, then he would probably land a punch of two on the other’s ungodly handsome face, consequences be damned. But he’s not the Japanese man and he wasn’t very much trained with combat. Deep breaths are all he can afford at the moment until Jaehyun comes back. God, he’s already getting impatient.

Amidst the internal debate whether remaining in the same room as the insufferable man is worth it or he could disappoint Jaehyun once, Doyoung notices something. Ten is sweating so much when it’s not even  _that_ warm inside the room. Hell, winter isn’t even over yet.

“Hey, are you sick? You shouldn’t really hunch like that, it’s triggering your injury.”

“I’m fucking healing. Give me another week, Kim. And it’s just… I don’t even fucking know. I’m fine. It’s just sweat.”

“You’re sweating in winter.”

“So?” Ten flashes a deathly glare. “What is it to you? All about me is fuckin’ weird. Now hop off my dick and keep quiet.”

Keeping quiet is what Doyoung does. There’s no point in giving a damn about Ten Chittaphon when the other clearly doesn’t need an ounce of it. Except maybe if it’s coming from Jung Jaehyun.  _What a weird pair._ Doyoung guesses he just has to get through this and pray Jaehyun recovers from his daddy issues because if he stays a little longer in the same room with Ten Chittaphon, breathing the same air as him, then he might as well turn into another psycho.

 

***

Jaehyun stands before the double doors, willing his rapid heartbeat to calm down. As he does it, he rehearses in his mind all the things he has to say to his father – that is _,_ if he’s lucky enough to be able to relay everything. Behind the doors is the man about to hear another failure from him, and perhaps feel another wave of stress. He’s lucky if he doesn’t get thrown out by the end of the day.

How merciless. Ten and he just landed from that 11-hour flight and he wasn’t even given a few minutes of rest.

“This is it,” A pound of courage on his chest. “For Invictus and…Ten. I guess.”

The Invictus heir finally enters the room, opting to greet his father to somehow alleviate the other’s impending anger but he’s a second too late as a rough hand lands heavily against his cheek, leaving a sharp pulsating sting on the left side of his face.

“I gave you another chance.” Jung Heejun’s voice booms throughout the conference room. It’s only then that Jaehyun realizes his father’s in the middle of a discussion with someone he doesn’t know but looks important enough not be embarrassed like this, witnessing a family dispute. “But you wasted it.  _Again._ What do you want to do, Jaehyun? You wasted a shitload of money for Lee Namgyu’s insane son?” The old man’s voice teeters from rage that Jaehyun could literally feel it radiate from his father. After giving a curt glimpse at the visitor, he pulls Heejun to the side then speaks in hushed, frustrated whispers. It’s already too embarrassing that someone has seen him get slapped, but it’s another thing for someone to overhear about how he had exactly failed his mission.

“Don’t call him that, father. He’s not insane.”

“Huh.” Heejun gives him a look of mockery. “What now? Did you head to France for leisure? Recreation? I’m never going to let you handle things ever again. So much promises, Jaehyun. You talked highly of these Red Phoenix friends I took in like homeless kittens but still, with a group of six, you failed it? What’s the point of having Red Phoenix in your name? You gave me false hopes.”

All of it is true and every single word that came out of his father’s mouth is like dagger impaling in his chest, slicing through his heartstrings and cutting them off.  But he doesn’t have time to dwell on the past, to dwell on the regrets. Today is another day and it means another chance. It should mean another chance.

Jaehyun sighs. “Here me out, dad. One last time.”

“You said it before too. One last time.” Mock drips from his father’s tone until Heejun scoffs and pins him a hard look, straightening the cream suit. “Say it.”

He cuts to the chase. “I’ll keep Ten Chittaphon for a bit. You don’t need to worry about him, okay? I have it under control.” Heejun opens his mouth but Jaehyun quickly interjects. Well, he’s the one already talking. “This time, I have it under control. Trust me, one last time. He won’t roam around; he’ll remain in my room throughout his stay here. Or in the clinic, or if you’re generous enough we can have him take another room-“

“Do whatever you want.”

“Right. He’s yet to completely heal. About Garnet… Give me one more chance, dad. I’ll head back to France. I don’t know when, but I will. Just please let me do this.” Desperation laces in every word he says and if he was the same as before, Jaehyun would be too prideful to beg. This time, though, even if his father asks him to kneel on a field of thorns, he’d do it. He can’t be self-centered anymore.

Heejun glimpses back at the neglected visitor, gesturing to give him a few minutes. “I don’t really get what’s going on in that head of yours. You’ve gotten too…dramatic. Just like before. Too compassionate for this. I told you that would be your weakness. You give nothing but disappointment. You proved, yet again, how much of a failure you are.” Heejun stresses it, stresses the harsh facts on Jaehyun’s face. “I shouldn’t have accepted you back and just let you pick yourself up from scratch.”

 _Give up,_ his mind chants.  _Do what’s right,_ his heart orders. Jaehyun waits for his father, watches the older man rub his temple.

“But this last chance I’m giving you is the last one I have for everybody else in here.”

Relief washes over him like a fresh batch of rain, a wild storm all too welcome to happen. It must have shown in his face because his father’s own features softened in the slightest, like he suddenly feels the burden and expectations and sufferings he brought on his own son.

“Thank you,” Jaehyun exhales, nodding. “Thank you, dad.”

Heejun shakes his head. “For the meantime, you have no control with the local business. You’ll be here as nothing but a decoration and if the need arises, I’ll have you and your friends out in the open for the dirty work. Fix your mess, Jaehyun. And don’t let the extra baggage bring us problems because I won’t be as forgiving. We are not a charity.”

Ten Chittaphon is absolutely not a charity case, just in need of support. Though he won’t say that to his father. It sounds too sentimental, not any of their concern.

With one last look at Heejun, and not even one spared at their visitor, Jaehyun leaves the conference room and heads straight to his room, a brow rising in question at the sight of both men acting like the plague to each other.

“Uh…”

Doyoung beats him. “I see you’re in one piece. Thank…Jesus, right? See how relieved I am? Because one, you’re alive and two, I can finally get out of here. It’s become deeply suffocating.” He can feel the burning glare on the back of his head. “I take it that it went well?”

A sigh escapes him before Jaehyun sits on the edge of his bed, still giving Ten’s hunched form a weird look. “You could say that. I got slapped, though.”

At the mention of someone hurting Jaehyun, Ten perks up, alert. His eyes are wide and he stops biting on his nails. “What.”

“What?”

“A motherfucker slapped you? Does this pest know only I can hurt you, Jaehyun?”

“That sounds kinky.”

Ten smirks. “It probably is if it does.”

Doyoung feels the beginning of another wave of headache. “Do you still need me here?”

“Well who said I need you earlier? Go. I appreciate the charitable kindness, Nanny Kim.”

The former Gold-card intelligence member gives the knife thrower a stink eye. “Keep an eye on him, Jaehyun. He’s unfit for normalcy in here.”

The door closes louder than intended, making Jaehyun flinch.

“Doyoung is weird, isn’t he? Normalcy. What kind of bullshit is that?” With the absence of a third party, Ten continues his habit of nail biting, though his form seems more relaxed now than he was with Doyoung. “So I have to stay here from now on? I’d be doing fine alone back in the house where you so heartlessly left me out.”

Jaehyun ignores the personal jab. “I’ll give you three days to–“

“Asylum.” Ten stares. “I know. You still want to lock me up. What good would it do me, Jaehyun? Do you wanna tell me? Or is it another way to get rid of me? You know that won’t work.”

“I’m not getting rid of you.” He gets up, sits on the chair Doyoung was sitting on earlier and clasps his hands together over his stomach, head tilted a little bit to the side as he engages in a stare down contest with Ten. “Just… you need help, Ten.”

The older grimaces as he shifts, digging his fist on his leg. “I don’t need help. We’ve gone through this already and it didn’t fucking end well. See this?” Ten lifts his shirt. “You fucking stabbed me. How could you? You thought I forgot that you tried to kill me, yeah? Then you had the  _gall_ to say you like me. Friends don’t kill each other. Friends don’t lock up each other.”

 _Friends._ The mere sound of that word grates annoyingly in Jaehyun’s ears. They both know they’re far from being friends. They’re past that stage. Hell, they didn’t even actually go through it – it was one-sided.

With a click of his tongue, Jaehyun runs his fingers through his hair and parts the strands so Ten could see the scabbing wound. “We’ve done that once. See?”

Ten wipes his sweat off with the back of his hand. Jaehyun doesn’t miss the hint of discomfort in the other’s hard expression. “Oh? That looks far better than mine, so your argument is invalid. Plus I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was... Hm, what’s the word?” He grins, and then it’s schooled back to nothingness. “Alarmed? Startled? Uh, Jesus H. Christ. I fucking lost that Kel-Tec. That was expensive as shit, if you must know. Did you find Namgyu’s card? It was with me.” Ten purses his lips, eyes squinting. “Risa probably took it. That whore.”

“You’re digressing. Back to the topic. Three days and I’ll drop you off at the asylum.” He feels his heart rip, but there is no other way to give Ten the assistance he needs. “This is not open for negotiations, I’m afraid. It’s for the better.”

Ten’s head lolls back, meeting the cold wall. His eyes are lidded as he gazes at Jaehyun, unreadable. “Do you think I’ll stop hating everyone if I went there?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think I’ll stop being a pain in the ass if I went there?”

Jaehyun nods.

One of the corners of his mouth curves up into a slight smirk. Ten then removes his coat, hurls it in the corner of the room together with his shoes and slouches even more. “That’s plausible. I should put some trust on our dear medical practitioners, right? Last question…”

The younger man leans forward, encouraging him to continue.

“Do you think you’ll like me better once I’m not sick anymore?”

It doesn’t show on his face, but Jaehyun’s heart is rapidly beating that he fears for a moment it’s going to burst and Ten, freaky Ten Chittaphon will be having a field day soaked in his blood. His face feels hot, too. “Do you really want me to answer that? It looks like you already know what I’ll say.”

“I do. And you’re a fuckin’ kill joy. I wanted to hear you say it.” Ten scoffs, shifting once again to lie down Jaehyun’s bed, eyes darting up the ceiling. “But anyway. Honestly, I’m tired. Physically and all the other shit that makes up what I am. The thing I hate is they’re gonna fucking tie me down and treat me like an animal.” Their eyes meet again, and how Jaehyun misses looking into those deep, blue eyes. “Have you ever watched documentaries about insane patients, Jaehyun? It’s  _terrifying._ ” He says it with such accent that it almost fools Jaehyun. How could Ten be terrified? The man fears nothing. He’d swim in a sea of sharks and feel at home with the predators.

Jaehyun won’t be fooled by the act. “You’re not insane. And you’re incapable of fear. Do you need me to tell you how bad of an actor you are when you’re trying to convince me? Is the talent for acting not included in the 220?”

“Gah. You’re overestimating it.” Ten glances shortly. “And you’re wrong. When you were bleeding. I got scared, alright. I felt like the world was pummeling me down and it was too dark for me to see like I’d gotten blind for a sec. I wanted to kill myself, but I had some business to do so it got postponed. Anyway, I refuted your claim. I felt fear  _once_ and that’s because I thought I was going to lose my one and only friend. Record breaking? Record breaking.”

Up until now, his heart is still drumming so loud he hears it in his ears, pumping so much blood. He ponders over the possibility that Ten might feel the same.

If he’ll ever want to feel the same.

“So, you’re in?”

“No. Listen,” The older turns on his good side, pillowing his head with an arm. “I’m a nicotine addict. You think they’d let a fucker in having withdrawals? I know this ain’t negotiable but give me until I’m done detoxifying and throwing up in your bathroom. Which I don’t see in this room – the horror. Ask the midget. He knows what I should take.”

“The–“  

“Then I’ll go to the asylum myself.” Ten interrupts.

It’s definitely easier than last time. Probably because Ten isn’t drugged – that caused some alters in his mood, worsening it even more than it already is. Jaehyun would also wager it’s due to the lack of triggers, the lack of weapon with him. It’s so easy for Ten to inflict pain when something causes him to, gives him all the reason to.

“Wow. That’s,” Jaehyun sits straight, loosening his collar. “Surprisingly easy.”

“It would’ve been easier if you didn’t hide Léonie from me. I would’ve agreed that night, with some wrestling with you, of course. But you had her all along. Not that I was trying to find her anyway, but you could’ve told me.”

Jaehyun’s temple pulses. Here they go again. For how smart Ten is, he sure doesn’t get some things as easy as ABC. “How many times am I gonna tell you that I didn’t hide her? She miraculously got here. My father, believe it or not had a heart to take the homeless in, countering what he told me that this isn’t a charity house. The universe is playing with us, Ten. That’s how I know no matter what I do, you won’t be going anywhere. Now suck it up. Léonie was looking for you.”

Ten hums. “I felt the effort.”

“So you actually did?”

“That was sarcastic. What effort was shown? Have you seen her get out of here to seek me? Dragonaire was even more eager to chase my ass than what the fuck ever she could’ve done.” He curls up then, clutching the sheets with a trembling hand. It doesn’t go unnoticed. “About what you said earlier. I really can’t go anywhere? I can’t roam around?”

“Why would you wanna do that when you were cooped up 24/7 back in Red Phoenix as though you were vampire, too scared of the sun?”

Apparently, it brings joy to the other and now, Ten is snickering like a madman. “I totally would pull it off, alright. Me, drinking blood? It’s like my diet.”

The sigh that spills from Jaehyun’s lips intend to tell Ten he’s being insufferable again, but Jaehyun guesses nothing ever works for the other to actually understand normal people’s emotions.

For the life of him, his birthday is almost near, but Jaehyun feels like he’s draining of life instead. Not like he ever celebrated it the way other people do.

“You can’t freely roam around, I apologize. No one outside Red Phoenix actually knows what you are like. Red Phoenix members still used to suffer from your wrath even though they knew how to deal with you, what more with the Invictus members? It hasn’t been long since you were revealed in that auction. I could give them a personal account as to how you are like when stressed and triggered and disturbed but I won’t do that. I doubt they’re  _that_ interested in you.”

“Ohoho,” A series of chortles rumbles in his chest. “I’m sure you saw how many were very much eager and hungry for me in the auction. Cygnus blew off their money just like that for me. Speaking of that, do you think they’re going to be adamant in getting their money’s worth? Ka-ching.”  

“I hope not. The message was clear. Alright, so if you need some sun, you vampire, I’ll accompany you in the back. But aside from here, the bathroom, and in the outside lot, you can’t go anywhere. I’m just taking precautions.”

A pout forms on Ten Chittaphon’s lips. God clearly has no mercy on Jaehyun today. “You’re treating me like an animal, Jaehyun. The only difference is, I’m in a bigger cage than last time.” He continues to whine, even kicking his feet. “This is so sad, Jaehyun. What did I ever do to you?”

“You know that’s not true.” The Invictus heir finally gets the courage to stand and divert his eyes from the….strangely adorable sight. “Do you want something to eat? Not me.”

That starts another bout of laughter from Ten, his eyes glinting brighter. “Asshole. Don’t flatter yourself. I want chocolates.”

“Léonie cooks French food. I’ll bring you some.”

“Do you lock the door from the outside?”

Jaehyun turns the knob and opens the door, slipping out halfway. “Yes. So behave yourself.”

When the door closes, Ten turns on his back, azure eyes glued to the ceiling. This is the only time he’s had to reflect on all of the things that transpired ever since the gala, the death of Moon Taeil and the unfortunate injury on his flank. Suddenly, everything feels like it never happened, like it was all just a dream because he’s here with Jung Jaehyun and the rest, like he was never planning to ruin Jaehyun, like the other never wanted to hurt him. He’s here like nothing was wrong and he wasn’t on the brink of death.

 _What changed overnight?_ When he woke up at the hospital, Jaehyun was quick to ask him what he needed, holding his hand so damn gently like he was fragile china. His blood was still on the younger’s clothes, he noticed that Jaehyun was wearing the same suit he wore at the auction, the same suit that was stained with viscous metallic red. He didn’t even sleep and for what?? For the sake of watching over him?

Ten wants to laugh. He wants to laugh.

So he does. In the room all too unfamiliar, mattress significantly different from what he slept on for seven years, in the middle of coldness, Ten laughs. Loud, boisterous, crazy.

He asked Jaehyun if the other liked him. Ten felt jubilant even during the stare down with death. Jaehyun likes him. They’re friends now, right? Jaehyun thinks they’re friends. After all, Jaehyun actually sees him as a friend. What an unhealthy friendship. He likes Jaehyun too. He definitely does.

So what now? After saying it out loud, right on his face, is he expected to change his ways? Is he supposed to be more…more human now? Kind, thoughtful, sweet? Even just thinking of those words makes Ten want to retch; he can feel the bile rising up his throat. Sure, he wanted friends when he was young. But they couldn’t be the friends he wanted. Jaehyun can’t be the type of friend he wanted. Jaehyun is normal. Ten doesn’t want normal.

Or does he? He’s tired, tired of loathing, tired of living in isolation. He wants Jaehyun by his side, but this is hard, this is foreign, this is unknown. He can call it friendship all he wants, but deep down, Ten knows better. But how is it possible? How is it possible for someone like him to feel something so raw, something so…addicting?

The word creeps up from the base of his tongue. Ten bites it down until it bleeds and the blood flows in his mouth and down the column of his throat. There’s no way he’s going to let it out. There’s no way he’s going to let it be known, be seen. He doesn’t do love, for fuck’s sake.

Yet…it’s there.

Ten stops laughing. The door opens and Jaehyun appears, carrying a tray of something that makes him instantly forget.

“Uh,” Jaehyun sets the tray on the desk, brows knitted. “Pissaladiére pasta…?”

 The knife thrower suddenly sits up straight, wide eyes gawking on the plate before reaching for it, only for his hand to be swatted away. Right. He can’t use the damn fork.

“ _Es-tu sérieux? C’est mon préféré!”_

The sudden influx of French worsens the ache in Jaehyun’s head. “I’ll take that as you like it. You look excited.”

Ten’s eyes don’t tear away from the food while he rubs his assaulted hand. “It’s been a while since I ate something homey. Feed me.”

Even if he doesn’t say it, Jaehyun really intends to feed him. They don’t have plastic forks. He takes the plate and twirls the pasta before holding it out, which Ten obediently eats, chewing noisily. He’s immune to it now. “So you know what a home is.”

Gathering the sauce from his lip and sucking the finger clean, Ten shrugs. “Just an idea. I never had it. One more?” He holds up an index and instantly puts it down when the same hand twitches.

Jaehyun stares at the other for a few seconds before feeding Ten again. It’s the first time he’s seen the older man eat so eagerly since he was told that Ten’s usual diet is the sweets from the vending machine. “Ten, are you getting restless again?”

No response, just more demands to be fed. Jaehyun fills Ten’s awaiting mouth over and over until the plate is clean before handing him a juice box. Strawberry flavored.

“Finish the juice. I’ll ask the clinic for medicines. I can’t…even if you beg, you know I won’t give it, right? No more cigarettes.”

“I know.” Ten empties the box and crumples it, putting it back on the tray before leaning against the headboard, kicking the blanket off of the mattress with a few curses. “Let me just–let me lie down. The last time I smoked was the night you knifed me. Damn it’s been an eternity, fuck.” The caramel-head wheezes before sliding down, curled in a fetal position. “It fucking hurts all over.”

Worry surges through Jaehyun, running into his system like blood. “Do you want me to bring you to the clinic instead?”

How does one care for the ill, anyway? Jaehyun never did it for his mother. When he got sick, he took medicines and recovered right away. This is different. He doesn’t fucking know how to deal with withdrawals.

He receives a shake of the head. “I’m fine here. Just get me a basin or something for the puke and whatever they fuck they got for this.”

He’s never ran a marathon before but Jaehyun sprints down the clinic, foregoing the elevator and hopping down several steps on the staircase since it’s closer. When he barges in the clinic, Taeyong is there with the doctor, writing down on a clipboard.

“Jaehyun, I should be saying welcome back but what the hell? Why do you look like you’re burning your lungs?” The nurse puts the clipboard down, excusing himself to approach the Invictus heir who’s still chasing his own breath.

“Taeyong, the withdrawal is kicking in. It’s been days, more than a week since he last smoked. He was sedated most of the time in the hospital so it didn’t happen. I don’t know what he needs but I suppose we have that here?”

Without wasting a second, Taeyong opens one of the cabinets, taking a few things and dumping them in Jaehyun’s palms. “Nicotine gums. It calms cravings and reduces anxiety. If it doesn’t work, give him the inhaler or the nasal spray. Make him take this,” He points to one tablet, “Bupropion. You know how medicines work. It’s both a smoking cessation aid and antidepressant.” Taeyong glances at the doctor and gets a thumb up, resulting to a smug smile on his face when he turns back to Jaehyun. “Make sure he takes those only when he feels like smoking and all the symptoms are full-on kicking in. As much as he was a chain smoker, I don’t think he used up more than 10 in a day so he can’t do some cold turkey. It’ll be worse in his case.”

Jaehyun distractedly inspects everything he’s holding, shaking his head. “What do I need to know about this?”

“Anxiety, nausea, depression, insomnia, coughing, cramps, constipation, sweating, tingles, headache and irritability. It can last up to weeks, Jaehyun. You also have to make him eat regularly since his appetite is turning back to normal.” Taeyong reaches for the clipboard and scribbles. “Doyoung dropped by. He said something about you keeping Ten in the room. Don’t do that. You won’t know what a potentially depressed person is capable of doing. It’s crucial from this point on. I guess you have to be with him 24/7 if you can. I doubt he wants to be checked up by me?” Taeyong looks up just as Jaehyun shakes his head again. “Understood. That’s a very hardheaded man. The isolation and darkness won’t help him.”

“Alright. Fuck, that’s a lot to take. You got basin?” Jaehyun walks further inside and gratefully accepts the basin and towel from the doctor before putting the boxes of gums and others in it. “It sounds like nightmare.”

“It is. I don’t know how long he’s been a smoker. Just look out for him. As much as I still feel uncertain about this whole arrangement, no one wants to suffer through a withdrawal.” The nurse puts the clipboard down and scratches at his brow. “Come to us whenever you need a break.”

“Of course, of course. I gotta go back now. Thanks, Taeyong.”

“Sure.”

He sees Jaehyun out. Taeyong sighs as he thinks of what awaits them now that Ten is in Invictus and it all feels like Red Phoenix again. Maybe he shouldn’t worry so much. Jaehyun seems like he’s going to be a very good personal nurse.

The door closes with a bang that it makes Ten flinch from the noise and hurl the pillow at Jaehyun, who in turn drops the basin and whatnots in it.

“Ten!”

“Fucking asshole! Close the motherfuckin’ door like you’re in a library and I’m a fuckin’ librarian about to fucking shush you down! Goddammit!” He’s shirtless now, and thank goodness he has his pants on. Jaehyun picks up what he dropped and hands Ten the water he snatched from the canteen.

“Alright, fine, I’m sorry. Here.” Jaehyun puts a gum on Ten’s palm which the latter quickly pops in his mouth. “You have to eat regularly now. Don’t worry, I’ll have Léonie cook all the good food for you. With a side of a chocolate bar? You like that?”

Frantically, Jaehyun rummages his closet for a fresh shirt and raises it to his eye-level. “Does this fit you? Why are you sweating so much?” He turns around, checking the heater. “Oh it’s too warm for you…”

“Calm the fuck down, Jaehyun. I’m not dying.”

“But you’re suffering!”

“You make it sound like I’m helpless. Fucking sit down and give me that shirt. I fucking hate seeing the bandage over my tattoos.”

Jaehyun finally listens, handing over the shirt. Ten struggles quite, but manages to put it on without wincing. “We need to redress the bandage until the end of the week.”

“Then have Taeyong do it here. I’m not going down to the clinic. Be thankful you didn’t stab me deep, hm.” Ten hums, chewing while his forearm rests over his eyes, blocking any hint of light. Jaehyun takes it upon himself to wipe down the older’s neck and chest with the towel. There is no resistance from Ten.

It seems like the restlessness has transferred to him that he can’t keep still, walking here and there while watching the man in his bed. “Are you gonna be vulnerable to depression? Anxiety? Taeyong told me a lot of things.”

“I don’t think so. I’m gonna be clearheaded as much as possible. But–“ Jaehyun flinches visibly when Ten jerks and pukes in the basin on the floor, next to the bed. It’s extremely gross, but he has to watch if ever something alarming happens. Thankfully, there’s none. Ten wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and chugs down the water.

“Fuck.” His voice is hoarse and shaky. “It’s been a while since I had my insides try to tear their way out of me.”  

“That’s wild.”

“You get your kicks from my vomit? I wouldn’t put anything past you anymore, Jaehyun. That’s very outlandish.” Ten chuckles. “I just realized I drank the remnants of it. Come to think of it, when was the last time I kissed you?”

Red is the color of Jaehyun’s cheeks when he cups them, slack-jawed. “The last time. At the gala? And why is that important now?” The heir scoffs at the sight of Ten Chittaphon chuckling. “Taeyong didn’t tell me that when you’re having withdrawals, you’d be this playful.”

Distracted by the strands of hair sticking on Ten’s forehead, Jaehyun reaches over to brush them off, feeling frustrated when the hair sticks back to the skin. In the end he puts a band on Ten’s head instead. He didn’t even know he still had it. It’s the band he frequently used when he dropped by the gym.

The other’s breathing slowly turns normal. Jaehyun picks up the discarded shirt and coat before arranging the shoes at the side and dumps the pieces of clothing in the small hamper. “You should sleep for a little, Ten. When you wake up, I’ll take you outside. How long do you think you’re going to be out?”

“I’m thinking four. I’m beat.”

Jaehyun pulls out his phone to set an alarm. “Four?”

“Longer than that. You can go, I’m gonna be out like a light. Just lock the door.”

“Are you sure?”

Ten slaps a hand on the desk, reaching for a tablet. “I won’t trust me no matter what, Jaehyun. Go and let me sleep in peace. I can survive the cramps and all the fuckin’ irritation I’ve been having since day one.”

“Right. You got the phone I gave you before we landed. Call me if you need anything.” Jaehyun looks at the other for a few seconds before slipping out of the room, heading straight to the clinic.

He finds Taeyong. The doctor is not inside when he enters. “Hey, this feels like our first squad get-together. Should we call the others?”

“Sure.” The nurse walks here and there, organizing. “This is more boring than I remember. Not even a patient for stomachaches? And the only one we have, withdrawals, doesn’t even wanna come in.”

“Preferences.” His phone pings once the message is sent to the group chat, quickly seen by Doyoung. “I already messaged them.” He then plops on the couch, legs stretched atop the small table in front.

Not even a second later the door slides open and in comes Johnny, looking all too happy. “Hey Jaehyun!”

“Did you pull a Shazam? I just sent a message and you’re already here.”

The tall man gives him a what-the-fuck look, before filling the space next to him. “If you’re talking about how fast I got here, then I think you mean I pulled a The Flash. Anyway, no, I was already on the way here. Hi Taeyong!”

“Hi, baby.” Taeyong leaves over, lips puckered exaggeratedly.

The sound of lips smacking makes Jaehyun cringe too hard, face contorted in disgust. “Great! Couples. Are Yuta and Winwin pulling a Johnny and Taeyong? You know, being casual fuck buddies before admitting.”

Shivers run down his spine at the way Taeyong glares at him. “I don’t know; you’re the one who outed them both. And we’re a concept now? You brat.” A sounding slap on Jaehyun’s head fills the whole clinic. “I’m not exactly pulling a gossip girl like you all used to, so I don’t know about their relationship progress.”

Jaehyun absolutely looks like he took a personal offense from the nurse’s statement, clutching his chest. “Did you just–“

He doesn’t get to finish his question when the rest enter the clinic. “Speak of the devil.”

“I’m not a devil and  _please,_ my head hurts I think I got a migraine.” Doyoung groans, rubbing his temple as he sits on the armrest of the couch. Yuta and Winwin, the suspected couple, sit together on the other available chairs and Jaehyun has to squint on their direction. No one notices.  

Taeyong rejoices, hopping away from Johnny to get medicines. “Fantastic! A patient, finally!”

The single tablet lands on Doyoung’s palm accurately and the man swallows it dry, rejecting the bottle of water from Taeyong. “How morbid of you to feel happy at someone’s expense. I’m in pain.”

“That’s the thing.” The nurse finds himself right on Johnny’s lap and only Jaehyun grumbles, earning another slap on the head. “I need people hurting to actually function. You’re welcome!”

“What is this for?”

Jaehyun smirks at Yuta. “Did we bother your sleep or something else?”

“Let it go it happened once.”

“Nothing more?”

“Can we not talk about my sex life?” Sicheng calmly asks while busy playing a game on a tablet. The gadget has Invictus’ name on it in the back. Right, they need new phones officially distributed and connected to the organization’s system.

Johnny grins. “Since you asked so nicely.”

“Thank you.”

“So,” The smell of medicines and other chemicals just doesn’t sit well with Jaehyun, etching a line on his forehead. “What happened in the two days I wasn’t here?”

Doyoung, ever so serious and composed, supplements Jaehyun with the information in his usual bored tone. “Nothing much? We talked to your father, explained most of it. He couldn’t lash out on us, you know. We’re strangers to him.”

A snort comes out of the sharpshooter. “Yeah, he’d rather beat his son than anyone.”

“Question.” The arsonist raises a hand, eyes not leaving the game. “Why is our official meeting place the clinic?”

“Because,” Taeyong sing-songs. “I don’t want to go out and all of you will listen to me when I say all of you are coming here?”

Sicheng casts a second-long glance at him before turning back to his game, murmuring something that sounds a lot like “point taken.”

“That’s the only point to take. Anyway, Jaehyun,” The attention is back on him. “How’s the patient in your room?”

Johnny perks up from behind Taeyong, resting his chin on the nurse’s shoulder. “You got a patient? What?”

His chest feels like it’s caving in once again as he thinks back to the man cooped up in his room. Jaehyun wonders if Ten’s doing just fine. “It’s Ten. He’s having withdrawals. He has to stop the nicotine intake before I take him to the asylum.”

Doyoung raises a brow. “So he’s finally going?”

“Surprisingly. He said he’s tired.”

“Weird.” Yuta makes an eye contact with Jaehyun. “He gets tired?”

With a slow nod Jaehyun confirms it, just basing the answer from what Ten told him. “Apparently. I’m giving him until the withdrawal is over before he gets in. He’s actually fine with it, just not feeling the whole tied down thing.”

“Well,” Doyoung gets up, sidestepping the small table in the middle to cross the room and grab a bottled water from the mini fridge, to which Taeyong relays his protest, saying something about the other’s audacity to reject his earlier offer. “He’ll only get tied down if he gets out of control – which is not impossible. Have you talked to him about the plans with Garnet?”

The question makes Jaehyun frown, absently tapping the scabbing wound on his head. Taeyong berates him. “No? I don’t think he necessarily needs to know if he doesn’t care about it. Plus I need to think of a way to get in? Ten really can’t say no, though, this is going to be beneficial to us. To all of us.”

Doyoung quickly chugs the water, dumping the empty bottle in the bin. “Just try again and mention Red Phoenix. If they were as close as we thought, then mention Ten Chittaphon too. Everybody knows now that the heir exists. Now that Moon Taeil is completely gone, thank God, Fort should know there had been something fishy going on. Garnet should know about the heir. But,” The former Gold card drawls, tapping his fingers on his thigh. “It isn’t guaranteed that it’ll be successful, Jaehyun. Garnet may be enlightened, but they’re already working with Casanov.”

Jaehyun shrugs, lips pursed. “Then we have to make them stop working with Casanov.”

“Basic. Would you need us again with you?” Taeyong asks, mindlessly playing with Johnny’s hands. Jaehyun doesn’t know why he feels irked; he knows it’s not because of the public display of affection, but each time he sees it, it makes him want to do the same to a certain person – which is as impossible as touching the sky with his bare hands.

“I don’t know. Dad chastised me about the money spent. It wasn’t even  _that_ expensive. The whole stay? The house in Gambetta was free. I might take one or two with me when I get back, though.”

“He might be talking about the jet and all the weapons. That’s a private jet and he booked private staff that will shut their mouths around people like us. It could’ve been ignored, but we returned empty-handed. You also paid that hospital a hefty amount.” Yuta explained with a few yawns in between, leaning his body against Winwin’s side.

“The stock in the hideout can replace those weapons…”

They grow quiet after that. Jaehyun takes his time to observe his squad and promptly remembers he hasn’t thanked them personally yet for supporting him and going through it all…only to reach the end of the battle without a trophy.

He needs to go back. He needs to get that trophy.

“Jaehyun,” Johnny’s voice cuts through the comfortable silence, carrying a faint weight of worry. “We made a scene in France. At the auction. Are we safe?”

“We should be.” He assures, sounding very much certain. “No one knows it was us who ruined the whole thing.”

Before Johnny can even think of a response, Doyoung is already chiming in. “Why do I feel like we’re not assured by that.”

That slightly sets him off, but he keeps it in. Besides, he’s not going to deny them of voicing their real opinions especially when their lives are concerned. “Come on, guys. They have to search the whole world to find whoever fucked them up.”

“And once they find us?”

Jaehyun looks at Sicheng, the latter now putting the tablet down.

“Then we’ll do everything  _but_ run away.”

“That’s the spirit!” The loudest voice booms throughout the clinic and even Taeyong, most especially Taeyong picks his ear while cursing at Johnny. The annoyance from every single one of them doesn’t deter the other, though. “I totally could’ve pulled that off if it was Halloween…”

The nurse gets off his boyfriend’s lap to sit on the armrest instead. “You’re so lame.”

“Okay but you like me.”

Yuta groans, childishly kicking his legs. “Is it our cue to leave? Tell me it’s our cue to leave.”

“No! I’m hungry. Let’s all eat something? Can we call someone to bring snacks?” Taeyong faces Jaehyun, batting his eyelashes prettily that the younger almost gags.

 _God._ They’re all criminals but why are his friends so damn cute childish sometimes? He’s not complaining, though – just sharing a unique way of appreciation.

“Sure.” Jaehyun gets up and presses a button on the wall to speak through the intercom directly connected to the kitchen. “No, not heavy meals. Just please get something from the vending machine. And drinks. Six. Thank you.”

“Jaehyun! I suddenly remembered I told you to be with Ten 24/7. Obviously you can’t do that but you left him right away. Not  _really_ right away but you get me.”

Great. He will never get away from  _him_ ever again, huh?

But because of an obvious reason still kept in the closet, Jaehyun doesn’t mind it.

“He’s sleeping and the door is locked. He’s literally falling asleep when I left. Four hours.” He pulls out his phone and shows the alarm set less than four hours from now. “See? He asked me to come back by then.”

“How cute,” The eyebrow wiggle from Johnny makes him want to shoot himself right through the window, “Don’t think we have forgotten that confession.”

Sometime these days, Johnny is really gonna get it.

“It’s not what you think.” He almost whines. Almost. “He was asking if I like him as a friend.”

“And you do.”

Yuta. It’s going to be Johnny and Yuta who are catching his fists one of these days. Jaehyun will remember this.

He’s tight-lipped before he answers, faking a smile. “I told you about it, my friend.”

Of course that response shouldn’t have been let out in the open because it just gave Taeyong Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul an opportunity to gossip. “What? You’re not telling us something? So we’re keeping secrets now? How un-sorority of us!” Added with a dramatic huff and arms crossed over his chest.

The Invictus heir tries so hard not to snort. He fails in the end. Luckily, Taeyong doesn’t take offense at the moment. “I thought you said you wouldn’t pull a gossip girl–“ Then everyone simultaneously reacts, expressing confusion and protest. “Let me finish! Taeyong called us gossip girls earlier.”

Doyoung scoffs, adjusting his glasses. “How ridiculous. You misgendered us.”

Taeyong grumbles. “It ain’t that deep, Doyoung!”

“Right.” Jaehyun walks to the sliding doors and takes the snacks, quickly dismissing the employee. “Ask Yuta if you want to know.”

Suddenly, all eyes are on the Japanese. Yuta’s brows shoot up his hairline as he slowly gets up from his seat. “Uh, no. Don’t come for– Taeyong! Get off me!” `

 

 

“Fuck!”

Jaehyun groans, getting forced out of sleep as more curses and noises ring in his ear. It’s totally dark when he opens his eyes, still bleary and hazy as he rubs them with both hands. The floor is hard and the cold cuts through the several layers of shirts he’s wearing, reminding him that as long as Ten isn’t fine, then he’ll be taking the floor as his new bed.

Good thing he’s got an extra blanket soft enough to lessen the discomfort.

“Dammit!”

The light from his phone blinds him for a moment as it illuminates his whole face.

“Ten, it’s five in the morning…”

“What?” The twists and turns in bed suddenly stop as Ten sits, back pressed on the wall. His glare is sharp in the darkness and Jaehyun adjusts the brightness of his phone before he pats for the switch on the lamp atop the desk. “It’s five fucking AM and I can’t fucking sleep is that what you wanna say? I fucking know, alright?”

Ignoring the other’s outburst and onslaught of foul language, Jaehyun gets up to roll his blanket, stuffs it in the closet and turns the lights on. The satisfaction that surges in his veins to see Ten blinded for a second is undeniable. Ten Chittaphon definitely deserves it for ruining his sleep.

“Are you hungry?”

“I said I can’t sleep. I want to sleep, not eat. Do you want to see a doctor for your poor comprehension skills? Must have shaken your head pretty bad when I banged it right against the bricked French walls in the middle of the French flavored rain.”

“Don’t’ fucking test me, Ten. I’m trying to help you. Now, if you don’t want to tell me if you’re hungry then I’m going to let you starve. I’m not lying.”

The caramel-head stares, chest heaving from labored breathing.

Jaehyun raises a brow. “What?”

“Are you going to feed me?” He asks as he begins to bite his nails, face now composed. It still never fails to scare Jaehyun how quick the other’s mood changes. “I still can’t use utensils, right?”

With a nod, the younger twists the knob and opens the door. “I’ll be back soon. Ten, behave yourself.”

Sniffle. “Okay.” He scoots to the very corner, and then wraps his arms around his legs, eyes never looking away from Jaehyun. “Okay.”

Jaehyun wastes no time and slips out, heading to the cafeteria. It’s only five in the morning but the cooks are already up to prepare.

When he arrives in the dining area, it’s completely deserted of Invictus men. Sounds of cooking equipment and talking reverberate through the rare quietness of the room that even his thudding footsteps reaches the others.

He glances down and sees that he didn’t even wear shoes.

A cook calls his attention, greeting him all too brightly, too bright in this ungodly hour of the morning.

“Uh, is Léonie up? What’s on the French menu?”

“Not yet, sir. She usually cooks at six AM. The French menu is also inconsistent.”

“Huh.” Jaehyun huffs, rubbing a hand down his face. “Alright. Uh, I’ll have a bowl of Kimchi fried rice instead, plus some sides.” He crosses the room to grab a juice box from the vending machine before collecting the tray from the cook and heads straight to the nearest elevator that will lead him back to the sleeping quarters.

When he returns, Ten is hunched with his arms wrapped around his middle, groaning.

Jaehyun puts the tray on the desk. “What’s wrong?”

“My whole body hurts. Like all my muscles are twisting and turning back into place.” The knife thrower looks up and grins through the pain. It ends up looking like a grimace. “I think this is not working. Give me my cigs, Jaehyun.”

“I told you that even if you slit your throat in front of me, and you bathe in your own blood, I won’t be giving it to you. What’s the point of this if you’re giving up after a day?” Jaehyun occupies the swivel chair near him and rolls himself near the bed with the tray on his lap. “Uh, this is Kimchi fried rice. Léonie isn’t up yet.”

Ten blows a raspberry, keeping the poor posture. His brown fringe falls back over his forehead and covers the blue eyes that Jaehyun  _adores._ “I eat Korean food. I’m Korean, don’t be racist, Jaehyun. Do you hate French people?”

The other has definitely gotten more irritating than ever when he’s not out to kill, with his useless, taunting questions.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” The younger man begins feeding Ten patiently, quickly slipping spoonful after spoonful of rice in the latter’s mouth. It looks like Ten’s sucking in the food and he doesn’t even chew. “Chew slowly, this ain’t running away from you.” 

“Like you ran away from me?” He quickly interrupts just as Jaehyun opens his mouth. “Wait, you didn’t run away from me. You took your sweet time packing up that night while I was fake sleeping. I wanted to watch you drive away, you know. Sad, I could’ve bid you a hasty goodbye if you only dropped by my room.”

“It sounds like you haven’t forgiven me yet.” Jaehyun says offhandedly.

It tickles the older’s sick humor. “Mm? There’s nothing to forgive. I don’t hold grudges. I left you alone when I learned you weren’t the one betraying Red Phoenix, right?”

“Sure.”

This talk is going in circles. Jaehyun doesn’t think Ten Chittaphon is ever going to let it go and will find the chance to rub it on his face just to get a reaction out of him. What does he want? Another brawl? Most likely. It’s what gives him life. Though it can’t happen this time when they’re on the way to getting some actual help, to actually prevent the man from doing things he shouldn’t do.

Coal black eyes travel to the other’s face, tracing each and every contour of Ten’s features. They’re sharp, never been gentle, never been soft. Jaehyun wonders if they’ll ever be and what might be the reason for it. Even the scars add to the strange beauty of the man before him. It’s unfair, Jaehyun believes so. How could scars make someone even more beautiful than they already are? Will he ever find Ten Chittaphon  _not_  captivating in the slightest bit, that even right now, in the middle of a painful withdrawal, all sweat and vomit and pains, he thinks this crazed person might be the only pretty thing he’ll ever admire in the next several lifetimes?

A finger snaps right on his face. “You’re staring.”

Jaehyun steps out his trance and looks down, realizing that the food is almost finished. He hands the juice box to Ten before casually wiping the bead of sweat rolling down the other’s cheek. “When the sun comes up, I’ll take you out for a walk.”

Ten chugs the milk with a trembling hand that a few drops of the drink spill from his mouth. “Fine. It’s cold outside, though. Why the hell is it still fucking winter?”

“I don’t know. Ask yourself. You’ve been in Korea long enough to question that, still. Anyway, I would want you to hit the gym but I’m worried about your flank. I guess the weird sweating works. It still detoxifies.”

“Whose fault is it that I can’t even do a simple exercise? How hypocritical of you.”

Anger bubbles in his guts, waiting to be let go. Jaehyun’s eyes harden. He can’t afford to land a punch or two on the other’s annoyingly perfect face even if he badly wants to. “Ten, it’s literally past five in the morning. I would ask you to stop trying to fight me.”

Leaning close, now even more hunched, Ten grins but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Is that begging I hear right there?”

Jaehyun doesn’t answer. He won’t give Ten the satisfaction.

“Say it again. Louderrr.”

No response.

Without preamble, Ten grabs one of the pillows and hurls it across the room, eyes bulging. “I said louder, Jaehyun!” His teeth grit, jaw clenches. The vein in his neck comes into view, protruding.

“Fine, fine! Please stop provoking me!” Jaehyun hisses as he picks up the pillow and slams the bowl on the tray. “Stop this!”

And like a machine the knife thrower ceases, the rage on his face switching to an empty canvas, blank and empty. “Wish granted. Do you have candy? I don’t like the gum very much.”

The drawer opens and Jaehyun tosses a candy against Ten’s chest, added with an annoyed click of his tongue.

“I don’t want the rice anymore.” He tears the wrapper and quickly pops the candy in his mouth, the sweetness melting against the pocket of his cheek. It elicits a moan from him. “My skull feels like breaking in half, Jaehyun. Tell me, is my face symmetrical?”

“…I think so?”

“Great. So you know it’s gonna be the exact half of each other if you ax down the middle of my face. One for you and one for your friends.”

The imagery makes his stomach churn disapprovingly. “You really should be chewing the gum instead.”

Ten fixes his sweatpants, which is actually Jaehyun’s, and smacks his lips as he does a hard suck on the candy that is currently pressed between his fingers. “I’ll chew it when I feel like smoking.”

Nothing happens after that. The two stay seated at their claimed spots in the bedroom with Jaehyun on the swivel chair reading a book and Ten quietly pulling a loose thread on the sheets.

It remains that way, silent and peaceful until Jaehyun’s periphery catches sight of the shy peek of sunlight through the window.

Putting on a jacket and a pair of shoes, Jaehyun turns to Ten and tears the other’s hand from the thread. “Let’s go.” He drags the man out of bed and hands a sweater, as well as the only thing Ten managed to bring back to Korea – his pair of sneakers.

They pass by a few already busy employees with Jaehyun returning some greetings out of politeness. It’s not everyday he actually gets recognized as the Kingpin’s son in Invictus. Almost everyone is too serious for their own good.

Snow still covers the ground when they go out. They’re in the back lot and it isn’t a lot of space, not even a lot of things to see saved for a couple of plants that Ten glares at with a reason Jaehyun will never understand.

“Jaehyun?”

“What is it?” He lags behind in purpose, watching whatever Ten is doing. The older is just leisurely kicking snow with the heel of his shoes, covering the plants with cold white.

If they were living another life, another identity, without all the dark glamour of their lifestyle, Jaehyun would’ve found it endearing. Ten looks  _oddly soft_ bundled up in his own clothes, caramel tresses sticking in different directions.

Like a royalty in a fictional book, blue eyes among green and black and brown, Ten easily exists…

…only for Jaehyun to admire.

“Tell me about the asylum. Have you found one yet?”

Jaehyun nods, slipping both hands in his pockets to warm them up. He walks over to the plant box, mindlessly staring on the innocent leaves that Ten mercilessly sprayed with more snow. He listens to the consistent snow-kicking behind him. “Yeah. It’s a private one. It’s…huge? Like three stories high. With a quadrangle, a gymnasium. They got classes.” He plucks one unknown flower, twisting it between his fingers. Its petals are soft beneath his touch that Jaehyun almost feels sorry for taking it away from its companions. “I don’t know what classes they’re offering but it helps the patients’ creativity and stuff. It looks…very much like a hospital. They also got rooms for recreation.” He finally turns around and Ten is squatting down, forming a snowball. “There’s a lot like you there.”

“That screams danger. I’ll be surrounded of them. You know I hate people.” The snowball is finally done with a few pats here and there and Ten peers up at Jaehyun, hand rising to aim the snowball at the him. He doesn’t do it. Jaehyun is glaring at him.

“We’ll work on that problem. That’s why you’re gonna be there.”

“I just want to be alone.” Ten sounds despondent and Jaehyun doesn’t know why he detects hopelessness from the former. It’s so unlike Ten Chittaphon to be such.

Crouching next to the caramel-head, Jaehyun lets go of the flowers, accidentally stepping on it. The petals crash beneath the weight of his foot much like the rest of him at the thought of leaving Ten again. It can already be considered a sin by itself.

“Ten, why are you asking about it?”

He doesn’t know what he’s expecting as an answer, but it’s certainly not what he hears.

Ten continues to pat the snowball to perfection with furrowed brows and tightly pressed lips. He looks like he’s still hurting. “…I’m overthinking. They’re going to tie me down and do things to me and I’ll be hopeless because no one understands me there. It’s not Red Phoenix.”

_No one understands me there._

Just like a broken record, memories of the past replay in his head, flashing one specific time frame – the instances Ten told his stories and the rare vulnerability when he used to open up to Jaehyun.

He almost forgot that Ten is just a lonely person masked with the monstrous desire to be strong, to be feared. The loneliness makes him weak and he hates weakness that he blankets it with his hatred, anger, childhood issues and the need to become significant, to become someone hard to forget.

To be a nightmare.

Before, Jaehyun would snarl and despise anything that makes up Ten Chittaphon. But the past was full of mistakes, of misjudgments and discriminations. Ten had done the vilest things possible; he had become wicked and ruthless. Jaehyun might be the one to change that now before it’s too late.

Resisting the urge to reach out and touch, do anything along the lines of providing comfort because it was never taught in their world, never expected of anyone in their line of work, Jaehyun resorts to staying next to Ten, making his own snowball. “You don’t have to think about those, Ten. Your mind is making up these things you’re worrying about. I’ll make sure no one lays a hand on you.”

Wide, glassy eyes meet his and for a second, Jaehyun sees nothing but innocence. “Promise?”

Promises are not his style. Promises never sat well with him. Promises never sounded good in his ears.

Because every promise is meant to be broken. He doesn’t want to break Ten again.

“Promise.”

Yet he gives the other something to hold on to for the times they will not be together – the most crucial ever since. Maybe, out of all the promises he made in the past and will make in the future, this is one that will go down in history for being true.

“Good. ‘Cause I don’t wanna shed blood in there and cover their sickly white walls with red.” And just like that, the innocence he thought he saw was uncovered. It was never there to begin with. “Come here.”

“Why?” He asks as he moves closer.

Ten remains quiet. There’s a distance of barely a foot between them and even if they both lie, there’s a force that compels them to move even closer, to close the gap and feel, just  _feel._ Jaehyun’s eyes travel down until they reach a pair of chapped lips. The urge to wet them is too stro–

A snowball lands on his face, the ice splattered across his cheeks and forehead.

“Gotcha.”

So for several minutes they run around the lot, Ten forgetting the cramps in his body and the nauseous taste dancing on his tongue in lieu of hurling snow at Jaehyun. It seems like he has leverage in the game for being a deadly accurate knife thrower because he’s still unstained while the younger receives yet another splash of snow straight to the crotch.

“This is unfair. You’re good at this. I’ve never thrown snowballs before and you’re too quick for me.”

“You’re just weak. Your arms? You got muscles but you’re not using them properly. Get a fucking trainer, Jung.”

Ten wobbles, looking paler than yesterday. He holds up a finger and beckons Jaehyun to come close.

“Why?” Another question, another disguise to make it look like he hesitates. He comes over anyway.

The caramel-head leans his weight against Jaehyun, to which the latter wraps his arms around the older’s waist. Hot breath hits the shell of Jaehyun’s ear. Ten breathes against him, much calmer than seconds ago and he’s trembling. Without the existence of a cigarette, his hands find purchase on the sides of Jaehyun’s jacket, gripping.

It feels like  _that_ time when they held each other intimately in the hotel room on the night of Garnet’s gala. Totally different, a far cry, but still the same. If it was hot and rushed and suffocating before, then it’s calm and tender and contented right now. Nevertheless it still makes Jaehyun want to  _want_ more.

…Although he takes it back right away, because some wishful thinking are wishful thinking for a reason, a daydream is a daydream, because Ten, apparently doesn’t feel the same energy and desire running all over Jaehyun’s body and ending on the tips of his fingers when he throws up all over the younger, all puke and spit coating the front of Jaehyun’s jacket.

He has the audacity to cackle at Jaehyun’s condition when he finishes emptying his stomach.

“What were you expecting, dimple boy?”

“Not this!”

The same events happen on the next few days. Ten depends on pills to sleep, wakes up soaked in sweat, cramping and irritated before vomiting until he doesn’t have anything to throw up anymore.  On several occasions he asks Jaehyun for a cigarette even though he’s completely aware of the other’s response, having already memorized the routine and the words that come out of Jaehyun’s mouth. His body twitches, fingers scratching on the skin of his arms, on the wall and on the sheets until they sting and he can’t will them to stop before he noisily chews on another gum.

It’s hard. The thought of giving up crosses Jaehyun’s mind in the next three days. He never cared like this for anyone before. Not even his mother. He had to fend for himself during the difficult times since he was a boy, not expecting the head of the family’s support and comforting whispers.

In the middle of the night, when Ten is sound asleep and Jaehyun remains staring on the ceiling through the thickness of the dark, he realizes they’re the same. Independent. Relying on no one for emotional guidance. That’s the only thing they share in common, though. Jaehyun has Taeyong and the others to take care of him now if he gets injured. Ten has no one because he’s stubborn, will never let anyone touch him, come close to him – unless it’s Jung Jaehyun.

Whenever he thinks of that,  _giving up_ suddenly vanishes from every nook and corner of his mind. He’s the only one who can freely enter the iron gates surrounding Ten Chittaphon. He’s the only one who has the privilege. It’s both a blessing and a curse. Because as much as he likes the thought of being the only one to affect Ten, the fact that it’s only he who can put some bits of humanity in the other is a burden.

Humanity. The one thing he was supposed to get rid of when he tried to get rid of Ten. It became a burden, an unnecessary load.

_I was really stupid, huh. I fell for the provocations. They were supposed to make me strong, not make me lose myself completely to the point that no one around me matters. Does it mean Ten Chittaphon will always be stronger and wiser? Probably. Even if he shows it in ways socially undesirable._

When another sunrise arrives, Jaehyun hasn’t slept a wink yet. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take a toll on his body. Not even a hint of sleepiness.

It’s eight in the morning when he returns to his room after a breakfast, bringing in Ten’s meal. The other’s already emptying his stomach again, violently heaving and spilling his digested meal from the night prior.

Jaehyun can’t do much other than to rub Ten’s back soothingly, waiting for him to get done. “Be thankful my father doesn’t need me at all and I can play nurse with you.”

He gets a prompted glare through matted caramel strands. “I don’t fucking need you. Why are you so poor you ain’t got your own bathroom? This would’ve been easier.”

“Invictus isn’t poor. And I don’t know? This has been like this ever since.”

Ten grabs the water and gargles, spitting the remnants of puke in the basin. “I feel so fucking sticky, Jaehyun. I need a shower.”

“Then come. I’ll get someone to clean the basin.” Jaehyun says with a hand already grabbing clothes and a fresh towel from the closet while the other holds the phone to his ear as he talks to someone Ten doesn’t care about.

Soon they’re in the shower room. Ten occupies the first stall. Luckily, no one else is showering or else it’s going to be very, very weird for them to see Jaehyun guarding one of the doors. What a bad dream. Another memory to put in the embarrassing moments section of a diary.

He has his eyes close while he leans against the thankfully dry, tiled wall when an all too familiar voice resonates, surprising him.

“Do I wanna know why you’re just standing there?” Johnny asks, holding his own change of clothes.

Jaehyun rolls his eyes and shifts his weight on the other foot. “Don’t say it. No one else can watch over him like a hawk with the patience of a nun.”

The sound of running water stops. “Nuns are not my type, Jaehyun. I’ve never been to a church my whole life. Don’t cosplay them. I’m also not gonna dress up as priest if you have such blasphemous kinks. The alb is going to burn my skin.”

Johnny shrugs. “He sounds fine.”

“Trust me. He isn’t.”

“Hey, Ten. So what’s you’re type if not nuns?”

Jaehyun almost throws a punch. “Fucki–“

As if on cue, the door on the first stall opens and hot steam blows right on Jaehyun’s face like incense. Ten is already dressed, rubbing the towel on his hair. “I don’t know why you’re talking to me. Didn’t you badmouth me right on this guy’s first day in Red Phoenix? What happened to not paying attention to the spawn of Satan?”

“Right.” The tallest out of the three sighs. “I don’t like you. Good luck today, Jaehyun! Tough to be a babysitter!” And before anyone can react, Johnny disappears behind the third stall.

Ten blinks a few times before looking at Jaehyun. “I said nothing wrong. I was wholesomely asking a genuine question.”

“And he said nothing wrong as well. Just stating he doesn’t like you. Come on, you need to eat and go on another silly walk outside.”

***

“What’s 1000 minus 7?”

“993. Can’t you count?”

“You’re not supposed to be sarcastic with me, Jaehyun.”

“Then why did you ask me that?”

“It’s what Nakamoto used to ask people he wants to be friends with.” Ten says with a disgruntled sigh. “It’s from one of the animes he watches. It’s proven to be effective seeing he has five friends now.”

“He didn’t ask me that before.” Jaehyun tapes the end of the bandage and huffs as he finishes, closing the drawer and allowing Ten to put his shirt on. “You didn’t have to ask me that. We’re already friends.”

“Yeah,” The blue-eyed man says, inserting a hand through the armhole and pulling his shirt down. “And you’re the only one I wanna be friends with so I’m trying to gather as much friends through one person. I’ll ask you that again next time.”

The absurdity makes Jaehyun scoff. “What makes you think I have more than one persona?”

“You’re nice with the squad but you’re not nice to me. You have two personas. So I’m gonna make at least two friends out of you.”

“Ten,” The Invictus heir clenches a fist before frustratingly grabbing a handful of his own hair. “May I remind you that you’re 26 years old? It’s 2019 so you’re gonna be turning a year older. There must be some miscalculations done when you took an IQ test.”

The other only juts out his lower lip before pressing gently on his shoulder and flank. It doesn’t hurt anymore, thanks to the painkillers. “You’re clearly insulting me right now.”

“Totally. And I will continue to do so if you keep asking me silly questions.” Jaehyun gets off the chair to unroll the blanket on the floor. It’s nearing midnight and they’re done with the first week of Ten’s withdrawals. The telltale signs of exhaustions already seep into his bones, eager to drain him of energy. Eliciting a sigh of relief, Jaehyun fluffs his extra pillow and hugs it. “Turn off the lamp soon.”

Silence.

“You have a gym session with me tomorrow morning. At 5. I already set an alarm. I dropped by the clinic earlier and the doctor was there so I asked if you could at least run the treadmill. It will be faster to detoxify.”

He hears some rustlings and a low grunt before the room is filled with nothing but black.

“Sleep well, Ten.”

“Mm. Night.”

If this is what friendship means, saying goodnight and waiting for nice dreams to come for the both of them, then Jaehyun supposes he should’ve agreed in the first place. Because even though he has the squad, Ten’s monotonous “night” sounds far incredibly reassuring than anybody else’s.

 

 

Day 13.

Two AM.

“You should’ve called the doctor…?” Taeyong remarks, irritated. Having woken up in the middle of the night by a frantic Jung Jaehyun does things to his mood – ugly things. They quickly head to the clinic, greeted by a sleepy nurse before the Thai blindly reaches up to grab a clear bottle filled with white pills, slamming it to Jaehyun’s waiting palm. “Jaehyun, I need enough sleep, too. You got a nightshift nurse.” The person being pointed at gives them a bored glance before going back to whatever in their phone that keeps them busy.

Jaehyun apathetically shakes the bottle with a sigh. “He’s on-call. You’re here. And I don’t vibe with this nurse.”

“Listen,” Taeyong starts walking away with the younger in tow. “I gave you enough last time. Where did that go?”

“Uh, Ten dumped it in his basin of puke.” Squinted eyes scan over the bottle’s label. “It’s amazing how you have all of this scientific shit memorized.”

“Thanks. But he dumped it? Now that idiot’s asking for it?”

Jaehyun almost collides against the shorter man’s back when the latter stops in front of the elevator, impatiently pressing the button. “It was accidental.” They both get in once the silver doors open and Jaehyun’s forehead presses against the cold wall, his breath forming a moist on the surface. “Just…thanks, Taeyong. I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

The elevator dings and Jaehyun follows the other out. Taeyong looks at him sympathetically before patting his shoulder twice, like he’s telling Jaehyun it’s fine, although it’s not. This has been going on for close to two weeks, and Jaehyun has bothered all of them at this point.

When Taeyong disappears back into his own room, Jaehyun quickly sprints back to his. It’s when he’s about to enter the code when he hears violent thuds from inside. Ten was lying down in bed, quiet and staring lifelessly on the ceiling when he left.

The gears in his head turn. Jaehyun unlocks the door and is welcomed by the sight of his own room looking like it was flipped upside down.

Everything is in disarray. From his desk to his closet, all things are strewn across the floor that he doesn’t know where to put his foot without stepping on anything, afraid that broken shards are scattered. A side of his bed is drenched with water, the sheets taken off.

It looks like a tornado has left his room in a derelict state.

And in the middle of it stands Ten Chittaphon, panting, sweating, pulling at his own hair and cursing nonstop, speaking gibberish that Jaehyun doesn’t know anymore what the other’s talking about.

“Ten,”

Blue eyes dart at him. Ten’s lips are trembling just like the rest of him before he falls on his bottom on the floor, coughing out his lungs. Jaehyun drops next to him, digging the bottle of pills in Ten’s hand and curling the latter’s fingers around it. His own hand doesn’t leave the other’s.

“Take two. You can go to sleep faster if you take two.”

“If I take ten do I fucking go to sleep and never wake up?” Ten grouches, his rough voice scratching against the walls, leaving traces of pain and a whole lot more that Jaehyun doesn’t want to delve into, scared that he might never survive. Ten is a pool of torture and regrets and hurt that if Jaehyun explores it, there’s no guarantee he won’t drown.

“What caused this?” He knows it’s useless to talk through Ten’s messy state. He snatches the pills from him and hides it in his pocket, gripping Ten’s jaw so hard it will leave a bruise. They look eye to eye, a few inches between them.

Jaehyun sounds desperate. “I’m not going to let you do this to yourself, you hear me? It’s temporary, Ten. All these crickets and demons in your head you tell me about, they’re going to leave if you discipline yourself. I’ll give you two and you will go to sleep. I’m going to let this go and sleep on the damn floor because instead of fighting, I’m going to be nice to you, I won’t break your jaw.” Ironically, his grip tightens. “You will help me clean up tomorrow. Okay?” Quickly, he forces two pills in Ten’s mouth and watches the other swallow them dry. He honestly expects another attempt of resistance but maybe he’s getting luckier and better at this and his companion never says another thing in favor of going back to bed, curled up.

Jaehyun stares. He wants to think but his mind doesn’t work. So he grabs the blanket instead and drapes it over Ten, kneeling on the side of the bed and watching until the other’s chest is moving steadily, breaths deep from a sounding sleep.

“Believe me. I wanted to break your jaw.” Jaehyun mumbles. “But that was the stupid Jaehyun speaking. Be glad the not stupid Jaehyun prevailed and all you will get when you wake up is a light scolding.” His hand, which had been patting the top of Ten’s head, leaves the soft mop of hair to grab a random shirt to wipe the sticky sweat on Ten’s skin. “Let’s do this the right way from now on, alright? I’m sorry.”

He gets up and pushes away all that is possible to prick him when he lays down the floor. Jaehyun stays awake for a few more minutes, just listening to the steady breathing of the man in his bed.

“I’m sorry again, Ten. For all the things I’ve done and will do to you.” 

 

 

Everything switches back to normal after that night – as normal as they can get. It just means Ten Chittaphon isn’t sick anymore, and he’s not craving for cigarettes, but the tics remain, only that his handy rescuer is a pack of gum or a chocolate bar.

Jaehyun fails to convince the other that helping him clean up the mess in the room is a good enough compensation after what he’s been put through by the same person who refused to give a small helping hand. Ten scoffs and stands in one corner, watching him sweep and mop the floor before folding his clothes and hanging the others in the closet.

At least, he makes an effort to comment on the sight of the broken lamp – shows that he isn’t completely indifferent about the whole thing.

“That was a nice lamp.”

“It was a nice lamp. You will buy me a new one.”

Jaehyun feels something hit the back of his head. An innocent candy drops on the floor. “What was that for?”

“How can I afford even the cheapest item when I don’t have a coin in my pocket?” Ten proves it further by pulling one of his pockets outward. “Nothing.”

“Didn’t you get paid in Red Phoenix?”

“I did. But my card wasn’t in the bag that was prepared by whoever before they dumped me all tied up in the backseat. It doesn’t matter anymore. There aren’t any convenience stores in the asylum, are there?”

The last suit is hung in the closet before Jaehyun turns his attention on the caramel-head. “There’s none. But you’ll be given snacks. I specifically requested the staff to give you sweet candies and chocolates, but it should be moderated. I don’t trust the sugar rush in your nicotine-free body.”

“Am I really nicotine-free now?”

“They do regular check-ups there. You’ll know.” Jaehyun places a duffel bag on bed and stares at its emptiness. “Would you need clothes? I mean, normal clothes. For whatever purposes undisclosed to me.”

Ten finally leaves his spot in the corner, now standing next to Jaehyun. “Mm, I don’t have an idea as well, but if you want, you can leave me some memento. You know, for when I miss you and you’re not there.”

The words choke Jaehyun, and he’s literally holding his throat as he coughs out his lungs, eyes glassy. “What the hell!”

“What?” Asks Ten, innocently. His eyes show nothing but truthfulness at the moment that Jaehyun wants to think he’s dreaming, that he’s in a different realm. Only the sounds of Ten noisily sucking on a lollipop tells him that he’s, in fact, not dreaming because if he was, then the disgusting suckling noises won’t be existing.

Ignoring the straightforwardness of the other, Jaehyun chooses to dump some of his own clothes in the bag, zipping it close after. “You just gave me an option if I want to pack you some clothes or not. Sometime ago you wouldn’t even allow me to do whatever I want.”

“Sure. You continue to act like you know me.”

“Don’t I?” With nothing more to do as Ten doesn’t have much of his own anyway, Jaehyun picks up the duffel bag and grabs the door open, glancing at the older with a softened gaze.

Ten stands still, his back turned to the other. Jaehyun doesn’t know whatever Ten is looking at but he feels like he shouldn’t rush.

“This has been my new room for two weeks. It certainly doesn’t feel like my room in Red Phoenix for a lot of reasons, but it’s comfortable here. Very much so. Do you want to hear the reason why I feel that way?”

“Tell me.”

Then he finally sees Ten’s face, straight and unperceivable. Like the usual. Except for when he looks straight into the other’s eyes, Jaehyun sees something for the first time, something that was never there before.

_Longing._

“I guess you already know.”

***

They don’t bother to inform the others. Besides, this is solely Jaehyun’s plan, out of Invictus’ concern. Even the squad is unaware that Ten’s departure is right away, on the day he’s finally out of withdrawal’s trap. Ten had woken up that morning like he was never puking his guts out for days, and the first thing he said when Jaehyun opened his eyes from an hour of sleep was, “ _take me there._ ”

Jaehyun drives one of the cars with Ten quietly strapped in the shotgun seat. Small changes. He’s fastened with a seatbelt. They’ve been on the road for thirty minutes and now entering a place with less commercial buildings, more trees.

“Do you want to hear a comment of mine? I swear it’s harmless and it won’t aggravate you and ruin your concentration.”

“Just tell me, Ten.”

“It looks calming.” He rolls the window down and sticks out his head, the wind hitting his face soothingly. Caramel tresses are touched by the sunlight, and his cheeks begin to turn a nice shade of red. “Is that the asylum? That building there?”

Jaehyun follows where he’s pointing. “Yes.”

Ten doesn’t say anything more as he pulls himself back and closes the window. Two minutes later they parked right in front of the building and Jaehyun carries the duffel bag filled with his own clothes before they get in quick, avoiding the freezing temperature.

People wearing white greet them with a smile that Ten scoffs at. The smiles are only directed at Jaehyun and never once did they spare him a glance, as though he’s invisible. Perhaps he is, to them at least. He understands. He likes it, matter of fact. If treating him like he doesn’t exist makes everyone leave him alone, then so be it. He believes he’ll last long with that kind of routine.

Jaehyun stops by a desk. Ten is left with nothing to do but stand obediently behind the younger.

“I’m here to leave Ten Chittaphon in your care? I’ve already talked to the director and we’re expected today.”

The woman dressed in the same white uniform as the others type something on the keyboard, confirming the patient’s identity. “Is Ten Chittaphon under Doctor Kim for therapy sessions?” Her cherry red lips moved coyly when she peers up at Jaehyun, setting Ten’s chest aflame. This doesn’t look good.

He steps forward, showing himself. The woman’s expression doesn’t change when she acknowledges his presence. “Miss, do you have a boyfriend?”

Jaehyun gasps. “Ten!”

Ten brings up a hand, stopping Jaehyun. “Miss, do you have a boyfriend?”

Confusion etches on her features but she nods anyway.

The caramel-head hums. “Good. Make sure to reserve the sticky gazes on him. He won’t like it if he knows you’re ogling the guardian of your new patient.”

“I–“

“I am the patient. He’s my guardian.” Ten manages to flash a smile as normal-looking as he can. At least he doesn’t look like he’s going to slam her head against the monitor.

Taken aback, the woman diverts her gaze and works the keyboard shortly, reluctantly looking at Jaehyun after. “Please head to Doctor Kim’s office. He’s just going to talk about a few things with you. Take a turn to the right and it’ll be the door with his name plate on.”

He feels a sudden grip around his arm then Jaehyun is dragging him away, stopping right before the door of the doctor’s office. “What was that?”

“Nothing. Get your hand off me.”

The grip on his arm disappears just as the door opens and a man wearing a white coat over black button down and slacks appear, looking a little startled. “Are you Mr. Jung?”

“Yes.”

“Please come in.” The doctor eyes Ten for a moment, stepping aside to let the two enter. The door closes gently when they take their seats.

“So,” Doctor Kim begins, taking his previous place behind the desk. “Normally we’d make the patient take a few tests and be interviewed before they are diagnosed and taken in. But, according to what you said, it seems like this is alarming and urgent. Still, the patient will be given tests for further assessment later on.” His eyes linger on Ten Chittaphon then, observing. “But it will not be forced. It will be administered whenever the patient is willing to avoid jeopardizing the results.”

“What else do you want to know? I’m pretty sure Jaehyun has told you how I murdered people just because they annoyed the fuck out of me and how much I hate people who try to look at me thinking I’m a plague.” The corner of Ten’s mouth curves into a small, wicked smile before he leans forward, eyes never leaving the doctor’s. “I hate people in general, doctor. How many patients does this place have?”

“Currently, 46.”

His eye twitches. The doctor scribbles something on a paper. “Make sure they don’t give me a reason to ki–“

Jaehyun cuts in. “Doctor, I’ve already discussed this with the director and I’m sure all of you had been oriented. I trust this facility’s security and strict confidentiality but please, for the second time, do not let anyone whose name is not on the list I gave approach Ten Chittaphon. If they are not on the list, and they want to see him, do everything to block this person from any kind of contact with this facility and everyone that works in here. I’m willing to pay extra for excellent precautions. My visits will be sporadic, for I will be very busy and notices will be sent through email. If something urgent arises, my number is already in your records. Call only if necessary. He has healing wounds so please do regular checkups. I expect no harm inflicted on the patient from any of the staff – in any form, even you. Because I will know. Are we clear, Kim Junmyeon?”

The doctor, professional and composed, nods in understanding. Jaehyun did not disclose any kind of information regarding his and Ten’s identity, but they’re very much aware that the two are not ordinary people, if the amount of money paid upfront and the number of reminders and underlying threats were anything to go by.

“All will be well, Mr. Jung. If nothing more is needed to be cleared, Ten Chittaphon can now follow a nurse to get changed into his uniform before he’s taken to his room.”

“Thank you.”

Right then, a female nurse enters the office, wearing a kind smile. Her hair is black and silky, tied into a bun. She asks Ten to come with her in her gentlest tone, and her intentions are as clear as a summer sky, contrasting the previous woman’s from earlier. Jaehyun knows she’s different, because Ten stood without a word, allowing the nurse to hold him as they exit the office.

He sits by the lounging area while he waits for the nurse and Ten to return. A television is latched onto the wall, playing a Disney movie. Jaehyun would love to see something louder and aggressive, but he guesses action movies cannot be played in such facility to prevent triggering unacceptable behaviors.

Soft thudding footsteps come from behind him and he turns just in time to see Ten in all white, trench coat and shoes and the rest of his own clothes removed. The nurse’s hands are full. Jaehyun realizes she has the clothes Ten was wearing.

The blue-eyed man is distractedly glancing around.

Jaehyun gets up to hand the duffel bag to her. “If necessary, his clothes are there. Give them to him.” He catches sight of her name plate before offering her a smile. “Thank you, Chungha.”

“No problem. Follow me; I’ll be taking him to his room now. I know you’d want to be assured.”

They take the stairs. Ten is in between the nurse and Jaehyun as they climb up floors. The second floor is where the recreation rooms and other activity areas are. The third floor is where all patients settle in.

When they arrive at the last floor, Ten stiffens, halting in his tracks. Jaehyun glances around and notices a few patients walking here and there, some of them chatting, some in their own world. He faces the caramel-head and cups Ten’s cheeks, making their eyes meet.

“Hey, everything’s going to be fine. Look,” Jaehyun gestures at the patients before looking back at Ten. “They don’t care about you. They won’t bother you. Later you will find friends here.”

“You’re my only friend.”

Jaehyun’s lips press firmly before he nods, eliciting an airy laugh. “Of course. We’re friends now, Ten.” In his periphery he notices Chungha still waiting patiently. Not wanting to stall, Jaehyun pulls Ten with him until they reach a vacant room.

From the open blinds, the young heir can see the inside of what will be Ten Chittaphon’s comfort zone for an indefinite time. There’s only a single bed pressed against the wall, bolted on the ground and just as white as their uniform and nothing else. He wants to mention how boring and lacking it is, but everything in here is done for reasons. Any object is a possible weapon that a patient can use.

Chungha unlocks the door and enters first, followed by the two. “Breakfast is over and lunch will be served soon. If you don’t wish to mingle with the others, you will have to stay in here. We follow a strict schedule. All patients with a go signal from the doctors can join the afternoon activities. Don’t worry, it will be indoors because of the weather.”

“I don’t want to talk to anyone.”

“Understood. We have nurses assigned to particular patients and I’ll be the one to take care of you. If you need me, though I’ll be checking on you regularly, just press that button on the wall near your bed.”

She exits then, but stopping by the door. Jaehyun faces the older and holds a pair of trembling hands.

“I want to say you look good in white, but this is not the white I would want you to wear for a long time. So please, Ten, accept all the help they will give you. The sooner I take you out of here, the better.”

Blue eyes peer at him, hard and unfeeling. Before he can think twice, Jaehyun’s lips press a kiss on Ten’s forehead. He isn’t sure as to why he did it, but he knows it means a lot – a kiss of goodbye, a kiss of see you later, a kiss that tells both of them they’re not ending here – Jaehyun is going to see him whenever he can until it’s time for Ten to come back.

The kiss is warm on Ten’s forehead, blooming until it covers the entirety of his body. He feels it glide down the length of his arms and legs, and he hopes the heat blankets him until the end of winter, until the end of his stay in the asylum. It’s one of the things that will remain with him when Jaehyun walks out the door, aside from the clothes.

The younger’s lips disappear from his skin, and when Ten opens his eyes, something he didn’t even notice he did, Jaehyun is already gone and the door is locked, and he’s alone for the next few days, weeks, years.

And once again, since the last time he was abandoned, Ten despairs.  

 

 

He had refused to go down for lunch and dinner. Doctor Kim did not allow Ten’s assigned nurse, Chungha to include him for the afternoon activities with other patients, saying he’s deemed emotionally unstable for social gatherings. The female nurse didn’t look sad when she relayed the information. Instead, she was still wearing that genuine smile although not as wide as what she had earlier.

“It’s fine, Ten. Soon you’ll be allowed to roam around the place without me.” She promised. Then she was gone, only coming back when it’s time for dinner.

She insists on feeding him because he won’t let her take him to the cafeteria. Ten obeys, taking the food she puts in his mouth until the plate’s clean. It’s just porridge, but it tastes decent. Ten didn’t actually mind having bland meals since he’s used to only eating candies and chocolates, with occasional sandwiches.

“What do the other patients eat?”

Chungha hands him a napkin which he uses to wipe the sides of his mouth, before dumping the cloth on the plate. The nurse shakes her head at him. “Korean food, of course. You had porridge per Mr. Jung’s instructions. You just had your withdrawal, and he advised us to make you warm, soft meals occasionally. If it doesn’t suit your taste, then you are free to go down.”

She fixes the tray and orders him to drink the prescribed medicine for his wounds. “Tomorrow, you have physical checkup and therapy. It’s not going to be harsh; it’s just to check the condition of your wounds, if the healing process is going on normally. Sadly, you still can’t join the art and cooking classes until Doctor Kim assesses your emotional stability. Would you like to see him soon?”

The thought of seeing the doctor ticks him off, and Chungha immediately notices. She claps once, loud and clear that it slightly startles the patient. “I heard that as soon as you get better, the handsome man will come back to take you from here! So I suggest that you try to talk to Doctor Kim whenever possible?”

The way she talks to him, like he’s a child and she’s making sure not to trigger his tendencies is supposed to irk him, but Ten surprises himself because he realizes he doesn’t mind. From the first time she looked at him, Chungha has nothing but sincerity. Ten can sense that she genuinely likes what she’s doing and that she’s perfectly fine being around him.

_Does it mean she’s unaware of my capabilities? Should I test?_

“Kim Chungha.”

She’s halfway to the door when he calls her. Chungha turns to him, brows raised. “Yes?”

With the walls once again built around him, emotions imperceptible, Ten relays what must instill fear on her. “I cut my sister’s finger when I was a kid because I didn’t like the color of her birthday cake. I murdered two men in a club when I was a teenager, bashed their skulls open because they wouldn’t let me grab my fucking drink. I tortured people, skinned them alive, plucked their teeth and carved letters on their flesh. After that I beheaded them. I didn’t stop with just one or two, Chungha. I killed more. Because they got on my way and mostly because they were annoying.”

He waits for her to say something, do something. But the expression on her face doesn’t change and she shows no signs of fear and reluctance as she walks back to him, carrying the tray. The air around her is so light and calming that instead of him scaring her, she makes him feel relaxed with her presence. And it’s a whole new thing, something that Ten doesn’t know if he should be getting mad for or…glad.

“I’ve been here for five years. I’ve seen a lot, heard a lot, felt a lot. I witnessed people break right in front of me. I’ve talked to people who did the same things you did. And yes, you are a brutal person and the things you did were inhumane. But you did not tell me why you’ve become the way you are now, and I believe whatever the reason is, it caused you a lot of hardships and the only way to shut yourself off is to give the pain back.

One thing you’re better than the rest is you are aware of it. And I know you want to change. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here. That’s one step into betterment.”

Stunned, Ten watches her go. The sound of the outside lock clicking pulls him out of trance as he lies down, gripping the blanket.

“What a weird woman.”

***

There are no clocks inside the room, nothing to tell the time since there are no windows except for the one that lets him see the hallway and other patients’ rooms. But when he’s woken up by Chungha the next day, pulled up still groggy and trying to remember his vague dream, he knows it’s still painfully early in the morning.

“Why is everyone talking, Chungha? Let me go back to sleep.” He snatches his arm out of her grasp, curling back into bed with a purpose of continuing the storyline of his dream. He doesn’t even know what it was about, just that he saw himself killing people and maybe it was a past memory trying to claw its way back in his head.

The nurse clicks her tongue. “There is morning exercise. You can stay in the back so you’re not surrounded by the others. Doctor Kim allowed you to go, it’s beneficial for you. It’s like physical therapy.”

He suddenly bolts up, hair sticking into different directions. “What? You mean it’s  _not_ the physical therapy?”

With hands on her hips, Chungha sighs. “If you don’t want to go I can just take you around so you’ll get familiar with the facility. How does that sound?”

Ten looks skeptic, but he slides out of bed. “I only have to talk to you?”

“Of course. Until you feel like I’m not cool enough to discuss serial killings with you. Come on.”

She makes Ten comb his hair first while she fixes the bed, immediately setting off to showing him around after.

They go around the third floor first. Most patients are doing their morning exercise while those without the go signal from their assigned doctors stay in the rooms, either sleeping or doing god knows what. Ten caught one through the open blinds slapping themselves, and he scoffs.  _Dumbfuck._

“So you’re the 47th patient. Professionally, when we discuss about the progress, we call you by your patient number. So within the medical staff, you’re patient no.47. We call you by your given name sometimes. But to us the numbers are easier to remember.”

“Sounds like an experiment.” A door bangs open, hitting against the wall from Ten’s right. A patient is trying to pry out of a male nurse’s hold, wanting to escape.

Chungha waves her hand dismissively. “It happens all the time. Some patients cannot be tamed.”

He makes no comment about it. Ten knows sooner or later there’s a possibility he’ll be doing the same thing.

Chungha tells him where the bathrooms are. “Press the button on your wall if you need to go, I’ll be accompanying you.”

The caramel-head stops in his tracks, brows furrowed. “I can’t go to the bathroom on my own. Even taking out my dick and pissing cannot be done on my own. I’m not crippled, if you can’t fucking see. What are you gonna do next, catch my shit with your bare hands?”

Ignoring the crude language, the nurse shrugs and beckons him to follow. “I won’t watch you pee and dump, Ten. I’m expected to give you a bath. All patients are given a bath by their nurses. Believe me. There are no malicious intentions. Do you want a male nurse to do that for you? I understand the discomfort.”

“No.” His immediate response makes her raise a brow. “I mean, I don’t want to deal with a new person. I don’t know why I’m not choking you to death right now but I think that’s a good sign. I don’t give a shit if you see all of me.”

Satisfied with the answer, she continues to show him around until they reach the second floor. The first thing that greets him is the recreation room. It’s the size of two classrooms and the patients are inside, doing their morning exercise. The sight alone makes Ten’s stomach churn, and a taste of bile lingers in his mouth.

Chungha takes him away. “Alright, no more of that. This one here,” She pulls him to the next room. It’s dark and empty. “It’s where the cooking classes are done. You’re taught to cook simple meals and bake goodies. Do you know how to cook?”

Ten gently withdraws his wrist from her hold and rubs it, blue eyes scanning what he could see from the outside. “No.”

“So what do you like to eat?”

“Candies and chocolates among others.”

“Ah, I was told to give you a chocolate bar later at lunch. Anything else?”

Ten gives her a sharp, curt side glance, lip twitching. “Pissaladiére pasta.”

The foreign word wraps her in confusion; head craned a bit to the side. “Would you like to eat that?”

The caramel-head ignores the question in lieu of crossing the hall. In front of him is a room, still closed like the cooking room. There are art utensils on a shelf like crayons and paint brushes next to paint tubes. Five easels stand in a row against the wall, each with a blank canvas already set on them. There’s also a blackboard, free of writings and chalk residues.

“This is the art room. Art class is every other day, like the cooking class. Normally we’d let the patients play sports outside but the weather forbids us. So random games are being facilitated in the recreation room. On the first floor, that’s where the other stuff are done. Meetings, checkups, therapies, patient registrations. I don’t think you need to see the laundry and kitchen area. Do you?” Chungha asks, before suddenly perking up. “Oh! The canteen! Do you want to see it? It’s on the first floor.”

“I don’t want to. It’s enough that I know where it is.”

Without waiting for her, he walks back to the recreation room and stops by the big windows.

Irritation, dread and disgust all churn in his guts as he remains watching a crowd of people wearing the same uniform as his, talking and getting along with others. Still, they look odd to him. All of them are odd. All of them are sick in the head. And he can’t accept the fact that he’s clearly the most intelligent among them, but he looks the same, no difference, no exceptions.  They’re all wearing white to tell everyone the world they’re fucked up.

Anger boils in his chest, threatening to rise up to his head and consume his thoughts. But just as he takes a step forward, to barge in and wrap a hand around the nearest person’s throat, Chungha holds him back with both hands on his shoulders. It’s gentle, mindful of the injury he has.

“Let’s go back to your room. I’ll fetch you breakfast and I’ll leave you alone ‘til it’s time for bath. Since you’re not allowed to join the afternoon activities, would you want to see Doctor Kim then?”

“I don’t want to see anyone.”

“Fine. Let’s go.”

 

 

Ten knows that Jaehyun didn’t promise a regular visit but it has been three days since he last saw the other and it’s starting to take a toll on him – the absence of the only presence he appreciates and vibes with. Even though Chungha’s tolerable, she’s nowhere near Jaehyun, incapable of giving Ten Chittaphon what he wants – a peace of mind.

It’s a little past six in the evening. He’s locked up in his room, back pressed against the headboard as he watches the bypassing of patients here and there. The art class has just finished. It must be the activity today since even from his place, he can spot a mixture of colors on the patients’ uniforms, staining them with ink and paint.

_How childish._

His mind wanders to the doctor. Again, he refused Chungha’s offer to take him to Doctor Kim, saying he’ll talk when he wants to. Not even Jaehyun forced personal information out of him.

_But it’s because that Bugs Bunny did it for him, spilling all my shit to feed their curiosity._

For the next two hours, he remains sitting idle in his bed, completely unmoving except for his eyes, following figures walking past his room. They’re all wearing white, and the only thing that distinguished the patients from nurses is the way they hold themselves while walking. The patients always either look zoned out or too bright, sometimes angry. Ten knows what he’s watching is not a patient when the look on their faces is boredom, like they never wanted to be here.

Unless it’s Chungha. She’s always smiling, like she never gets tired. Wondering how the nurse does it, something else crosses his rotten mind.

“Who knows, she might be just another patient playing nurse.” The thought tickles his dark humor, and then Ten’s laughing, the boisterous kind, hitting his thighs in pure bliss.

And from the other side of the hall, in a room across Ten’s, another patient is observing everyone. When his eyes land on the man with caramel hair laughing alone, he thinks no one’s different, they’re all the same, all twisted and hopeless.

Until the patient with the caramel hair stops laughing and stares right at him from across the hall, from the opposite room. He doesn’t know what it is but he can feel it. The new guy is looking at him, not just into space – the man is specifically staring at him.

Ten glares. That patient has been looking at him for the past three days. He didn’t tell Chungha; she doesn’t have to know a lot. But it’s beginning to become a peeve. He was promised that he was going to be left alone, without anyone trying to mess with him.

If this one doesn’t mind his own business, then Ten will wreak havoc and he’s not going to regret it.

The door to his room unlocks. Chungha comes in, worry etched on her pretty face. Her hands shoot out to feel Ten’s pulse. “I saw you twitching.”

“Don’t mind it. It’s normal.”

“It’s not normal. I’m advised to only give you medicines after every meal. The dinner will not be until 8.”

“I said,” Slowly, like a venomous python, Ten turns to her, hands balled into fists and gripping the sheets of his bed. “Stop. Fucking. Concerning. Yourself with me.”

She should’ve seen it, but she’s a stubborn human being, trying to play hero and saving a lost cause. Ten, in no time has her pinned against the wall, his forearm blocking her airway. It digs painfully down her throat but she doesn’t attempt to scream, doesn’t attempt to escape. Brown eyes peered up at him, and for a second, she sees red instead of blue.

“You know what I want? Give Jung Jaehyun to me. If you don’t fucking call him I will fucking end every single one of you here and you won’t stop me. I’m not gonna be saved, Chungha. You’re going to take that fact to your grave.”

“Stop…”

Laughter bubbles out of his mouth. “Stop? I’ll have you know all my victims asked me to stop but you know what I did?” His lips brush over hers, light but poisonous. “I did not stop.”

He makes a move to grip her jaw, attempting to snap her neck when a much stronger force pulls him from behind and Ten lands on his bed, thrashing.

“Let go of me, fuckers! I want Jaehyun! I said I fucking want Jaehyun!”

Two male nurses hold him down, one pinning his arms while the other holds his legs. Soon he hears the sound of strap and he can’t move a muscle, trying to twist and pry out of the tight confines.

“Get it off me! I’ll fucking kill all of you I swear to fucking God- Jaehyun!” Ten’s voice breaks and he feels his eyes sting as he squirms, but the tight leather straps caging him won’t allow him the luxury of a few spaces. “Jaehyun! Come fucking get me, you bastard! Let me fucking go!”

Chungha rubs her neck gently, wincing from the sting. “I hope you didn’t make it too tight. He’s healing from stab and bullet wounds.”

“Have it checked tomorrow. When he wakes up he’s in a straitjacket.” One of the male nurses says before injecting the side of Ten’s neck.

In a matter of seconds the thrashing and screaming stop and all that is left is a heavily sedated man pathetically strapped down his bed.

 

0o0o0

 

It’s his fault. He brought this on himself. It’s his own fucking fault for letting his demons take over and mess with his head. Now, he’s enclosed in a straitjacket, avoiding looking into the eyes of the woman he almost killed.

“You need to finish this, Ten.”

Pretending not to hear her, he continues to stare into nothing. The blinds are closed today. He can’t see the patient unnervingly giving him the attention he didn’t ask.

A spoon touches his bottom lip. “One last bite and I’ll give you your medicines then I’m gone.”

He takes the food, the sound of his teeth biting down the steel echoes in the room. Ten chews once, twice and swallows, before taking the prescribed medicine for his wounds and anxiety.

 _Anxiety_. It’s what they called his unsettling twitching and nail biting, the dread settling in his stomach each time he thinks of the lack of Jaehyun and the amount of people around him.

The nurse opens the door, about to leave when he says something before he could even weigh any existing options.

“Take me to doctor Kim.”

***

“So, you’ve finally decided to come.”

Chungha leaves them for their privacy, gently closing the door. Slouched in his seat in front of the doctor, Ten appears to be very much comfortable even though he’s dressed in a straitjacket.

“What made you do it?”

There’s a sound of the pen clicking and Ten looks at the doctor, who’s ready to jot down everything he’s going to tell.

“Mm, let me think.” He would tap his finger on his bottom lip for a dramatic, infuriating effect just to get on the doctor’s nerves but his arms are interlocked within the new uniform he has on.

_Fuck it._

So Ten opts to lick his lips. “I choked Kim Chungha.”

“Why did you do it?”

“She keeps trying to be close to me and acting like she’s going to save me.”

Scribble. “Why do you think she’s acting that way? Is there a reason for her to do that?”

“I guess so. I’m here because I’m sick, right? That’s why I’m wearing this. Because I’m capable of things no mentally healthy person will do.”

Doctor Kim nods, adjusting his glasses. “Why do you say you’re sick?”

His tongue runs over the pocket of his cheek, absently licking. “I kill people just because I want to. I mean, they give me a reason. The last ones, they were traitors. They worked for my father, but they were two-faced assholes. They deserved it. Don’t chastise me, doctor. They deserved it.”

“How bad was it?” Scribble.

“Because of what they did, I lost my father and my sister. They were tortured to death. I shouldn’t be seeking revenge for things like that, should I? I tortured people for a living. But they came for my family, doctor. No one comes for my family.”

Scribble, scribble. “Is there a reason why they came for your family?”

His head lolls back, neck bent in a dangerous angle for a few seconds while he stares at the ceiling, processing his thoughts before he glances back at the doctor. “We had an existing problem but I doubt it would come to that if I didn’t kill the bastard’s son first. Before you ask me, I did it because I was bored. Do you understand the need to kill, doctor? The  _desire_? It sat within me, to the very core of my being, it runs in my bloodstream. The desire to inflict pain is in my nature, doctor. As far as I can remember, because ever since, I hated people and I hated things that don’t go the way I want them to. So I hurt my nurse – because I felt like I needed to. I think, I will find a reason to hurt, no matter what.”

The pen scratches over the smooth paper, draws more black and more words, all from his own thoughts. Doctor Kim reads over what he had written. “You kill for a reason, Ten. I don’t think it’s solely due to lack of interesting activities. There’s a need that drives you to do these things. Do you want to do some tests?”

“How many?”

“If you want to get down to this as soon as possible, not that I don’t already have inkling, then we’ll do two now. One will require you to draw and some interpretations will be done. One will require you to complete sentences.”

“Fine.”

Doctor Kim calls a nurse in to have Ten’s uniform changed. As soon as he gets back, he’s handed a few blank papers and a pen. “Try not to stab me.”

“Very funny. What’s the first test?”

“It’s a projective personality test. There are instructions printed on the papers I gave you. Read them carefully and once you’re done, hand them over.”

With furrowed brows he goes over the instructions. They’re simple; he just needs to draw one man on a paper, and a woman on the other.

It takes him a few minutes, three at most. The test doesn’t really require him to draw creatively, but it what eats up his first minute is the thought of  _who_ he’s possibly drawing.

In the end he writes the names, satisfied with the images he had drawn and hands the papers back to the doctor.

Ten watches the emotions across the doctor’s face; the most prominent is the look of understanding.

Doctor Kim puts the papers down, writing over the drawings. “Do you want to hear what I got from these?”

“That I draw like a third grader?”

“No.” Kim Junmyeon turns the drawings around, facing them to Ten Chittaphon. “I encircled a few parts of your drawings that had clear interpretations. For both drawings, their strongest features are the razor sharp fingers, like monster claws. It means aggression. The others speak the same volume, with paranoia, depression and anxiety. There are also psychotic features, schizophrenia, tendency to have negative emotions and self-image as well as signs of cautiousness. You have to know that these reflect  _you._ I could disregard these if they appeared on one drawing, but they appeared on both, solidifying my theory.”

Ten only stops biting his nail when it starts to bleed, wiping the red liquid down his uniform. “Listen, doctor. I won’t tell you I’m normal. I space out, thinking of stuff along the lines of murder, settling issues through violence and there’s always a need to be violent, I’m not kidding. My mood changes drastically in such a short period of time and I can’t help it. If those are the interpretations, they’re most likely true. Even if you give me all kinds of personality test, you will not see anything good, anything normal in me.” His head jerks as he points to the names written beneath the figures. “What’s the purpose of that?”

“These people you have in your mind while drawing these…they’re important to you.”

A hand slams down the desk, startling the doctor. “Bullshit! I don’t give a fuck about my parents! They’re the worst kind of people, Doctor Kim. Do you know? My father abandoned me when I was a kid. He was fucking strong on the outside but he was weak. What kind of a father leaves his family behind? My mother? How can I look up to someone like that? She did nothing but hate me, be ashamed of me. She’s like my father, doctor. They both wanted me gone; they wanted me hidden away from the rest of the world. Is this the result of being cooped up in darkness, hm? From isolation? My parents loathed me. Why would anyone that isn’t my family like me? If they don’t like me, then I shouldn’t like them too. Isn’t that how it works?”

Ten chuckles as he shifts in his seat. “How lucky of my sister to die before me. She didn’t live long to see how vile of a monster I became.”  

 Junmyeon nods, placing the papers down with a huff. “Alright. This second test will take a while as you have to complete 60 sentences. They may appear repetitive to you, but they all point into the same direction, validating your thoughts. Please, your first thought is the one you need to write down because it is the realest answer possible.”

He receives five pages of the test, already feeling drained. But Doctor Kim is watching him so Ten goes right into it after reading the instructions.

By the time he’s reached sentence no.60, his penmanship has worsened, and Ten slams the pen down just the doctor takes the papers. “Is that going to be connected to the other test and what I just divulged to you?”

“Yes. Give me five minutes.”

For five minutes he chews the same broken nail, slightly rocking in his seat while he keeps his eyes busy by looking around, reading the titles on the spines of medical and psychological books. In the background, the pen scratches noisily, grating in Ten’s ears.

“Are you ready to listen to me?”

“Sure. I’m not going to lose anything.”

The doctor clears his throat. “To summarize the result, your answers reveal the lack of affection from both parents, especially the father; no close ties with the mother. You expressed interest in dance, the desire to do things in your own way or change the way things are. You have an unconscious fear of being left alone, hostility towards men and women, the desire for affection. You have also emphasized how dysfunctional your family is, the strong will to understand the people around you. You don’t think marriage is necessary. Again, you’ve shown aggressive tendencies, lack of fear when faced with authority, and importance on perfectionism. All of these,” Doctor Kim removes his eyeglasses and sighs, “All the negativities you’ve felt ever since, they compress and manifest in the actions you make. You need to learn how to express yourself properly, Ten.”

“You don’t need to tell me anymore, I’ve got them connecting like webs in my head while you talked.” Blood drips down his finger and Ten wipes it over his uniform again, staining the white with a little bit of red. “Family issues, alright? I’m aggressive because it’s how I express my thoughts. I was literally kept hidden as a boy, until now that I’m a grown ass man. Without a proper outlet, no one to talk to, violence is always the key for someone like me. The fear of being left alone? Maybe. Though I’ll have you know I don’t fear anything unless we’re talking about my one and only friend; I don’t want him to leave me anymore because he’s the only one that actually got interested in me.”

He leans against the backrest of the seat, challenging the doctor into a stare down. “I want to get out of here as soon as possible, Doctor Kim. If you can suggest things to me, how I can deal with these crap I feel, then do it. Even the smallest thing, I’ll do it.”

“You have to do it for yourself. You have to do it because you want to change, Ten.”

The patient’s head is swarmed with a million thoughts at once. This is going to be the first time he’ll ask for help. He wants to change everything about him except for independence. He lived in the streets and survived without anyone’s aid, he killed his enemies without anyone telling him what to do, and he wants to live the rest of his life needing no one else’s support but himself. Ten is his own pillar, his own sword and shield.

Even the  _obsession_  with Jung Jaehyun, he wants to get over it someday.

“Okay. I’ll attend your therapies. All the checkups.”

“This is not going to be easy. You will fall down a few times. You might even go back to scratch midway. You need to be determined.”

“I  _am_ determined, doctor. If you continue to tell me another thing I should do when I already know it, I’m going to fucking sna–“

The doctor holds up a hand. “Let’s begin with the threats. I don’t mind the foul language. It’s normal, a form of expression. But too much is a sign of aggression. You have to moderate that.”

Gritting his teeth, the caramel-head nods in acquiescence. “Alright, dammit. Alright.”

If he wants this, he will hold everything in. Starting now. Starting from not wiping the smug smile off of Kim Junmyeon’s face.

***

The routine goes on for several weeks. Ten still skips the morning exercise, having not built the strength and courage yet to join a small crowd of people. After breakfast he takes his prescribed medicines before Chungha takes him for a physical checkup.

His wounds have healed, but the trauma still needs to be given attention regularly. He doesn’t mind the unwanted attention from the other staff only when Chungha is around, serving as his new source of comfort and assurance  _and_ a constant reminder that he doesn’t need to hurt anyone else after her.

Expectedly, he should’ve learned to apologize by now. It’s always mentioned in his everyday therapy sessions with Doctor Kim, and the professional had told him that his first ever recipient of a sincere ‘ _I’m sorr_ y _’_ should be Kim Chungha because she’s the closest person to him at the moment, even if there are more people outside that need his apology from worse committed offenses.

Though each time the opportunity offers itself, he chickens out. Not because he’s embarrassed, but because he personally believed that he was offended first, and not by the female nurse but by the man who promised to see him whenever he can. It’s been nearing two months since he entered the facility and Jaehyun’s shadow is still nowhere to be found.

_He shall say sorry first thing when he gets the balls to drop by and see his criminal friend._

So he postpones it, pushes it at the back of his mind and forgets it purposely after each therapy session.

And quite frankly, the therapies help alleviate some of the baleful thoughts and images in his head when the darkness cloaks him at night. He still struggles with them, especially in times he’s reminded of his family during the talk with Junmyeon, as they are the core reason of his destructive personality.

Just like tonight, in the middle of his disturbingly spacious yet empty room, Ten sits up in his bed with the ghost of his father projected right in front of him.

He knows it’s not real. He knows it’s his own, unconscious thoughts trying to morph into the hatred that sits still within his heart and mind.

“Hey, you’re dead, aren’t you?” Ten sniffs, rubbing his nose. “I’m trying to get my life together now. Without you. I never even needed you.” Lee Namgyu doesn’t move from his spot by the door, staring straight, looking very pallid. The man’s appearance is how he looked like in the photo that was left to them during the hiding. Ten’s hands find their way through his hair, pulling as soon as frustration sizzles in his guts, climbing and clinging in every space of his brain. “Can you please get the fuck away now, Namgyu? Please?” He doesn’t even realize he’s begging for the first time. “Go away… Get away from me…”

But Lee Namgyu remains, now speaking, telling Ten how much of a disappointment he is for being sick, for being useless, for being an heir no one is going to be proud of.

It sets off the grenade in his heart.

“Get away, father! Leave me alone!”

The lights turn on. Lee Namgyu is gone. There, by the door is none other than his nurse, her pretty face marred with worry.

Chungha rushes to his side, doing her best to calm him down. “Ten, Ten, look at me. It’s Chungha. Hey, look at me.”

She grips his face with both hands, forcing the pair of blue eyes to meet her deep brown ones. “You’re hyperventilating. Ten, just look at me. Follow my breathing, okay? Slowly. Breathe in….breathe out…”

They do it for a minute or two until the patient relatively calms, blurry eyes now blinking back the threatening wetness.

Ten pries out of her touch, eyes shifting here and there as though cautious of an unseen entity. “Did you come here alone?”

“I did. What happened?”

“My father came back.”

“Your…father? Isn’t he dead?”

“You think I don’t know? He’s dead. But he was here. Clearly, Junmyeon’s therapies are not enough. I’m always here, not going anywhere, and it’s getting suffoca–“

“Go outside and mingle with the others.” Chungha says flatly. “Don’t you know that isolation and darkness are the main ingredient in a mentally ill’s devastated way of thoughts? Two months have gone like the wind and you need to take another step forward. If you don’t try it, how would you know you’re going to be fine in a crowd?” She grabs a journal from the floor and drops it on his lap – he must have thrown it. “When you’re confused and frustrated, Doctor Kim said write everything down and reflect. Even the most random thoughts. You have to clear your head all the time, Ten.”

She turns then, seeing that he’s alright now. Ten grips the notebook before calling out. “Chungha.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry. And thank you.”

The sight of her bright smile is the last thing he sees before the door closes yet again. Oddly, it lessens the heaviness in his chest, cools the angry heat.

Ten flips the journal on a clean page and writes down, scribbling messily.

_Two months._

_I’m still attending Junmyeon’s therapies. Sometimes I sleep well, sometimes I don’t. Tonight I saw Namgyu. He called me a shame in the family. I didn’t get to tell him he lost his family, lost us. But that doesn’t matter. He can visit me again and I’ll remember he doesn’t exist and his words won’t affect me._

_Chungha told me to go out of my room and blend in. I’ll try to. I apologized to her. I don’t know how it makes her feel but I guess it’s good because she smiled at me. I’m forgiven._

_Look, I’m getting better. I’ve been writing for a while now, right? I haven’t stabbed anyone yet with this pen. Hopefully I’ll never do it._

_Two months._

_Jaehyun is still not around._

_I miss him._

_A lot._

 

 

 

0o0o0

 

“It’ll be fine.”

“It won’t.”

“You haven’t even walked in yet.”

“Let’s go back to my room. Or let’s just go to Junmyeon.”

“NO! Get in!”

“I said fucki–“

Chungha pushes him as hard as she can. Ten stumbles inside the recreation room, quickly picking himself up and wiping his hands on his white pants. With a glare at the nurse cheering for him from the outside, Ten takes a few steps forward and finds his own place at the corner, at the very back.

No one is paying him any attention. The room is not packed this time, but people of all ages are inside. Young, old. A mixture of men and women. The instructor in front shouts, loud voice filling the room to command a group of 22 people.

All of a sudden an energetic song begins, everyone around him is moving,  _dancing,_  following the choreography demonstrated by the leader in front.

_Fuck Kim Chungha. This is the fucking morning Zumba exercise. What the fuck._

The leader looks over them, pointing at random patients to give her unwanted opinion. Ten, with his sharp jaw clenching, ignores the way Chungha literally doubles over in laughter outside as he begins to move, reluctantly joining the Zumba group with his lifeless dancing.

Inevitably he gets pointed at, but no one else looks at him aside from one or two people, and Ten feels the slight buzzing in his veins not because he’s enjoying, but because people are looking at him and he doesn’t like it.

Instead of putting a bit of color in his movements, Ten deflates even more. Chungha stops smiling as she notices the familiar twitching of his fingers.

Soon he feels her presence next to him with her hand wrapped around his wrist, tugging. “Look at me.”

Her voice successfully distracts him. It’s the only thing Ten hears for the rest of the morning exercise while he concentrates on watching her dance, following whatever she does until he gets the hang of it and the tension vanishes from his body.

He doesn’t even notice how more eyes are on them, particularly on him since he’s a new addition. Ten sees nothing but the bubbly nurse, her smile and her graceful movements, mingling with his rare, sounding laughter while the rest of the world around them is in a blur, muted and subdued.

Sheen of sweat coats his skin like second layer when the morning exercise is done. He takes the towel from his assigned nurse and follows her out on the way to the cafeteria. The buzz in his veins is now different from what was tingling earlier and he sticks to Chungha like glue when they walk through the cacophony of noises.

She leads him to a vacant seat, bolted to the ground like the 90% of what’s inside the asylum.

The seat is in between two other patients. Ten hesitates, the anxiety quickly settling in.

“Go on. Remember, no one here is out to get you. No one here is as malicious as the people capable of the things you do.”

“So you’re saying I’m the most wicked here.”

Chungha grins. “Exactly. They should be scared of you instead.”

Rolling his eyes, Ten dismisses the statement of his nurse before dumping himself on the seat, accidentally knocking the patient’s arm on his right side. The plastic spoon clatters on the table and the caramel-head quickly mumbles an apology, looking right into the eyes of his seatmate.

Turns out, it’s the patient occupying the room across his. The one who frequently stares at him.

“Actually, I take it back. I’m not sorry. You should apologize to me, though. Didn’t your mother tell you staring is rude?”

“Huh?”

“Great,” Ten waves at Chungha dismissively, asking her to go. “Aside from being a creep you’re also deaf.”

He starts eating. Reflexively he grips his pocket, grasping something solid inside of it. Ten slips a hand in only to pull out a chocolate bar. When did Chungha get so swift?

“My name’s Mark.”

Blue eyes shift to the owner of the voice coming from his right. Ten’s face is back to its perpetually unfriendly look, imperceptible and cold.

“I said my name is Mark…”

The creep patient, Mark, repeats as though Ten didn’t hear it the first time. He’s gazing expectantly at the caramel-head, obviously expecting a response.

Which Ten doesn’t give. The older shoves a spoonful of  _Bibimbap_ , the yolk dripping from the corner of his mouth. Eating his breakfast is what he does for the next ten minutes. He can feel the lingering gaze burning on the side of his face, and as much as he wants to bash Mark’s head against the edge of the table, he’s been a very nice patient to Doctor Kim and Ten is actually getting serious and dedicated on getting better.

So he ignores the stares. He just opts for imagining holding a metal fork and stabbing it down the naughty hand of his seatmate as Mark screams so enticingly.

Ten swats the hand painfully when it’s centimeters away from his chocolate bar and glowers at Mark. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Huh?”

Running out of patience and afraid that he’ll give in to temptations, Ten springs out of his seat and finds a less crowded table. This time no one is sitting close to him so his posture slackens, tension absent.

He thought he’d finally get away from the weird guy.

Well, he thought wrong.

Mark follows him like a lost cub, claiming the seat across Ten. His eyes, now seen clearly, are wide like saucers, the black staring deep into the caramel-head’s soul.

When Ten says it’s unsettling, it’s most likely an understatement. And he hates that people are starting to affect him the way he doesn’t want them to.

Because if anyone’s going to leave a deep impression in this place, it’s him.

The chocolate bar breaks in half beneath the crushing grip of his hand. “What the fuck do you want.”

“The chocolate.”

His brow piques. “ _Oh._ This one?” Ten waves the dessert in front of the other patient’s face before making a show of wolfing it down in a few seconds until only a few crumbs remain sticking on his fingers that he licks right away. “It’s gone.”

“Listen, fuckwit. I don’t vibe with the dumb sickos in here. Uh-huh, I’m one of you – at the moment, but I’m just trying not to wreak havoc. I’m usually two seconds away from sticking my fist through anyone’s chest to rip their heart out but I’m  _really,_ really trying my best not to. Help me with that.”

The wide-eyed guy nods, like he understands. Ten doubts it. Everyone in here shares one brain cell.

Mark doesn’t speak for the next minute as Ten chews the rest of the chocolate in his mouth. Some slip out and drop on the table, which he swipes with a finger to lick again, not allowing his unwanted companion to even catch sight of the tiny bits of his food.

When he gets up to grab a drink, planning to head back to the third floor, Ten feels the persistent patient follow.

He really doesn’t want to cause another scene. Ten doesn’t want to be strapped down and wake up in a straitjacket again. Yet Mark is proving it difficult for him.

The guy clearly wants something. If he gives it, Mark will probably leave him alone.

Ten walks out of the cafeteria and heads upstairs, followed by Mark. Before he enters his room, he swiftly turns around, catching the other off-guard, and Mark bumps against him. The blue-eyed immediately allows a fair distance between them.

“Why do you keep staring at me and why do you act like you need something from me? I’ll give you five seconds to answer and if I don’t get the answer I want within five seconds, you’re gonna be crippled for the next month. Time starts now.”

“You look interesting. Let’s be friends.”

It took Mark three seconds. Ten stops counting in his head and tosses the juice box over his shoulder, letting his nurse take it. Chungha has been waiting for him to get back.

“ _Interesting?”_ Ten snorts. “Poor you. Have you heard of what I did, why I’m stuck in this hellhole?”

The other man shakes his head, hands clenched and pressed tight to his sides.

“I killed people because they didn’t know they couldn’t fuck with me. You can’t fuck with me, Mark.” His eyes harden as he tries to send the message through the other’s thick skull. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Mark’s eyes dart past his shoulders, glancing at Chungha for a second before he croaks out, sounding deterred. “I just want a friend. I’m… I’ve been in here for a year but,” His lips purse as his head lowers and Ten watches as Mark begins to walk to his own room.

Chungha is much too close to him when she whispers. Ten doesn’t mind the proximity. “He’s harmless, Ten. It won’t hurt to let someone else in. Just try.”

Before he even forms a response, she’s already dragging him to Mark’s room, smiling at the other patient’s assigned nurse. “It’s okay. Doctor Kim advised him to make friends.”

So he finds himself in another person’s sanctuary that looks so much like his, only that there’s a small pile of books in the corner. Ten wonders why he doesn’t have books. He probably won’t even flip a page, but boredom does things to a person without much room to walk around, and a mind overflowing with thoughts he’d rather not think about.

The two nurses are gone when Ten glances at the window.

“I’m Mark Lee. Twenty two. I’m actually from Canada but my family moved here a decade ago.”

Ten chooses to stand against the wall, cautious. His hands hide behind him, palms pressed against the cool concrete. “I don’t want to have friends, Mark. I don’t even know why I’m explaining this to you because clearly, your brain works.”

Mark picks up a book and flips it to page. “I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light. It’s a quote by Helen Keller. Truthfully I was scared of you because you have this strong, dark aura circulating you ever since you came, but that’s also the reason why I want to be close to you. You’re strong. No one else is half as strong as you in here. I would very much appreciate if we talk sometimes. Also, my teacher back in Canada told us that it’s fine if your friend doesn’t consider you their friend. It doesn’t have to go both ways.”

“Tell Helen Keller there are more voices in the dark and the light actually helps. So poetic.”

The book closes and Mark slips it beneath his pillow. “Well she was deaf-blind. And very much dead.”

 Ten huffs. “Oops. My bad.” Shifting his weight on the other foot, Ten sighs and wonders how long he’s going to be inside the other patient’s room. The sight of his own room just across has never been so inviting and all he wants to do is get locked up, lie down and sleep until he wakes up to his last day in the asylum.

“Do you want to know what I was diagnosed with?”

He’s not interested.

“Kleptomania.”

Now, he’s interested.

“So you were trying to steal my chocolate not because you like but your sick head is compelling you to steal for the thrill of it. Bet you’d steal anything I have even of it means no value to you.”

“Correct.” Mark confirms with a nod as a small smile finds its way on his face. “I’m impressed that you’re very attentive. I didn’t want the chocolate but at that time, I just felt like I should take it. I’m sorry, by the way.”

“It’s Ten.”

The sound of his name widens the smile on Mark’s face. “It’s nice to meet you, Ten.”

Maybe Chungha’s right. Maybe he should try letting people in, maybe it won’t be so bad. He’s already let her in; he can give Mark a chance. Only that Ten wishes they don’t betray him too. Because as strong as independent he is, as indifferent and as heartless, he knows now that some people are worth keeping.

If only that one person he truly needs to see would come see him too.

 

0o0o0

 

The third month of his stay comes.

Ten walks next to his assigned nurse, heading to where the fire exit is. Chungha said she’s supposed to be writing a report but is too lazy to do it, so Ten proposed something else.

He wants to know about her.

“I’m sorry; if they find me they’re going to ask me to head to the office.” She sits on the floor and thankfully it’s clean. Ten settles next to her, his back pressed against the wall. On his right side is the door leading to the emergency exit.

“That’s fine.” A wall blocks them from anyone’s view. The secrecy and concealment is like a breath of fresh air, like he’s back to isolation, only that there’s someone else with him. “This is a good spot.”

“So you said you want to know about me.” Hugging her knees to her chest, Chungha looks at him, her thin fringe covering her forehead. Her hair is down today and Ten thinks she looks better like this.

“Yeah. I didn’t prepare questions. This is spontaneous, so. Just tell me whatever you want to tell me.”

Even the sound of her laugh, hushed and wary, is pretty – like the rest of her. “Alright. This is kind of pressuring. But I’m 27. I lived in Dallas for eight years before coming here, thinking I’d enjoy working in Korea. And it’s true. I live alone. My family is in Texas. I like any kind of food, really. Some people might think I’m not fit for this kind of work because honestly, it’s taxing and it’s surprising that I still have all my hair intact from the stress but I wouldn’t choose to do anything else. I won’t exchange it for the world.”

When she finishes, an air of excitement around her, she realizes he’s been staring. “I don’t think you’d want to tell me anything in return. From what I’ve gathered, you’re a very private and a very important person. To the extent that,” Chungha drawls, glancing up as she tries to find anything to compare Ten to. “To the extent that if something, even the most useless information slips out, we’re going to have our heads served on a platter.”

“Who told you that?”

“No one. But that’s the strongest description I could think of if ever something goes wrong and your safety’s jeopardized.”

It infuriates him. Ten knows that Jaehyun only wants him to be safe. But what he just heard makes him feel helpless, when they know he’s fully capable of standing up for himself. He’s the last one they should worry about when it comes to being protected.

His hands shake. Ten hides them and racks his brain for a distraction.

“You said you’d been working here for five years. You should be taking care of another patient instead of me. Why were you assigned to me? Why didn’t they get a new one?”

“You sound like you don’t like me as your nurse.” Her tone is playful. “Kidding. Ah, how should I say this,” Chungha bites her lip while she absently fidgets. “I had a patient. She was…she was nice. She was well-behaved, but she suffered a lot. Doctor Kim was assigned to her, too. Like you, she attended therapies and had a journal where she used to write down every little thing and she would let me read, asked me what I thought.”

Ten listens. With nothing to say in particular, he just chooses to listen. And while he does, he hears her voice break, but he doesn’t ask.

“Well,” Chungha says, chuckling a bit. She’s not looking back at Ten anymore, afraid that he’ll point out the wetness in her eyes. “She was getting better. But the demons won and I heard the emergency alarm, rushed to her room only to see her already lying in her own pool of blood. I think she wanted to be rescued, but I didn’t run fast enough.”

She’s wiping the tears away now, sniffling. “Jieun was just 23. Then you came, two months later.”

It’s only been five months. The woman must have been important to his nurse.

“I’m sorry for asking. But you shouldn’t have told me.” Ten mumbles. He’s much closer now.

Chungha laughs and shakes her head, waving her hands dismissively. “Nooo, I got too sensitive!” The titters just stop when she realizes he’s too quiet and Chungha turns to look at him only to feel something warm press against her lips.

Ten is kissing her _._

Her body stiffens. The lips are moving against hers, slowly and gently. She wants to know  _why_ , but her mind goes into a haywire when she feels arms wrap around her, pulling her close.

Still, she doesn’t kiss him back, just lets him do whatever he wants. And it’s not because she doesn’t care, not because she likes it, not because she wants to focus.

Chungha’s letting Ten do it because sooner or later he’ll do what he’s truly aiming for.

Ten starts to pull away. “He–“

The sudden tight grip around his wrist surprises him. Chungha smacks his hand and the keys drop to the floor, jangling noisily.

Ten smirks. “I didn’t know you’d be  _this_ smart.”

“Clearly, you underestimated me. I’ve been here for years, Ten.” She puts the keys back in her pocket and stands up, matching the smirk on his face. “Maybe you should try harder next time. But I’ll tell you now it will be futile to make me swoon over you. Hell, not even the sight of your nakedness when I give you a bath could do it.”

“What is it?”

She turns, starts to make her way out when she tells him.

“I have a girlfriend, Ten. Now follow me, it’s time for your afternoon nap.”

Ten follows right away. Is she mad? Does he need to apologize for taking advantage of her momentary vulnerability for his own convenience?

 _Fuck off,_  he tells himself, before jogging to her side. Ten enters his room and tugs on the sleeve of her blouse. “I’m sorry. I want to escape; I’m getting bored.”

Chungha sighs and gently takes his hand off of her. “It’s not going to work. Wait for it, Ten. Once you know not to manipulate people for your own sake.”

***

At this point, he’s not expecting it anymore. But Chungha enters his room and wakes him, tells him to look presentable – as presentable as he can with the same white uniform he’s been wearing for the past three months and his hair continuously growing and uncombed – because someone is at the lounging area waiting for him.

When he arrives and finds Jaehyun, Ten doesn’t greet him. He sits down, one leg over the other, hands limp on his lap. They don’t tremble when they’re supposed to because he’s boiling like lava inside. Ten mentally curses the pills he just took. Now, he doesn’t have anything to blame if he really punches the life out of Jung Jaehyun.

“Your hair is longer now.” Jaehyun beams, eyeing his tresses. “You certainly look better with long hair.”

“Why are you here?” Ten asks flatly.

Jaehyun leans back, the smile faded. “I was busy, Ten. I frequently asked for updates from Doctor Kim anyway. I was monitoring you.”

“Monitoring me,” The caramel-head repeats, tone mocking. “Sure you do. So you’re like watching me? Am I on surveillance? What am I, a criminal?”

“Yes, you are. We both are.” The younger’s voice lowers. “I went back to France. I talked to Fort and it wasn’t easy. Everyone knows an Ten Chittaphon, so I had to rack my brain, prove that I was a Red Phoenix member. In the end he only needed your birth name, because it’s the one Fort acknowledges.”

Jaehyun pulls out a file from a suitcase and hands it to Ten. “It’s the contract I signed. Garnet knew about the treachery, thanks to you. I explained the whole situation and how it’s going to be beneficial to Invictus if we got the projects back. He had no say against it since he knows it was given to him illegally. So I managed to convince him to break the deal with Casanov.”

Ten looks at him wide-eyed, hand halfway from flipping pages. “You did?”

“Yes.” The smile is back on Jaehyun’s face and the pride reeks off of him that Ten’s hostility dissipates in a snap. “Invictus is already in partnership with Garnet. Right now, there’s an ongoing renovation to the headquarters and we’re literally so busy. There are nights no one even sleeps. And get this,” He leans in, voice softer than before. “The news about the auction reached Garnet. Why wouldn’t it, all these groups talked about was you. He terminated Cygnus and Venandi.”

 _Cygnus and Venandi._ It’s been a while since he heard the names of these mafia organizations.  “Termination? You mean to say – all operations are down?”

“Terminated operations, their connections, reputation and status – all wiped out. Garnet had them panhandling on the ground. I was told that every member of those organizations will not be able to leave France.”

“Wow,” The caramel-head huffs, stunned. “Why would Garnet go out of their way to do that?”

“That’s what I wanted to know, too. But truly, Garnet treasured the relationship with Red Phoenix better, deeper than what I thought.”

“Fort told me that they like to know their partners better.” Ten dumps the file back on Jaehyun’s lap. “I guess we should be thankful Fort has this crazy attachment to his dead business partner.”

“You will never say you’re grateful, Ten.” Jaehyun chuckles, shaking his head as he stuffs the file back in the suitcase.

Ten casts a side glance at the entryway, checks whether someone’s within earshot. “In three months I learned to hold my temper, though I’m still struggling from time to time. Within three months I let someone get close to me, and probably another one. Within three months I managed to stay in a room full of people. Within three months I learned to apologize when I know I let my irrationality get the best of me.”

The atmosphere changes drastically – from high up to down low. Ten holds the eye contact, refusing to back down even as Jaehyun’s face begins to soften up. He won’t be forgiving this time. He needs to let him know. “In three months I was wondering when you’d be visiting. Yet after three months I’m still  _obsessed_ with you. I know you didn’t promise an exact date and time, but Jaehyun,” Ten sing-songs, eyes blank as they invisibly grill the Invictus heir. “You know you’re my strongest medicine.”

“I know.” A shy pink tongue teases on the seams of Jaehyun’s lips, wetting. “And I apologize. I’m being a bad friend to you.”

“At least you’re aware of it.” The patient pulls back, posture now relaxed. “Anyway if you still want to know how I’m doing, I’m not doing much. You must know my routine here. What’s only thrilling is that I have a personal nurse that gives me a bath so I wouldn’t exert much effort.”

“It’s because they’re preventing patients from getting ahold of objects that will be potentially used against them. How many times will anyone have to tell you?”

Ten smirks, rubbing a thumb over his lips. “Oh, they sure know what’s up.”

The sound of a phone ringing interrupts Jaehyun just as he’s about to open his mouth. Doyoung’s name flashes on the screen before he mutes it and hurriedly gets off the seat. “I’m sorry again, Ten but like I’ve said earlier we’re very busy right now. We’re still trying to reach out to the clients since Invictus is a whole lot different from Casanov. A lot of video conference, and it probably will require me to fly here and there soon. There’s so much to work on.”

Jaehyun stands before the blue-eyed patient and hesitates for a second as his hand lingers a few inches away from Ten’s hair. In the end he chooses to indulge himself with nothing, because after months of being inaccessible, it’s what he deserves.

“I don’t know when I can visit again. But I will. I’ll see you later, Ten.”

Azure eyes are pinned on the expanse of Jaehyun’s wide back as he walks away. Ten’s lips part a bit, inhaling sharply.

“If you won’t, then I will.”

He walks to where Chungha is, distracting her with a quickly made up summary of his conversation with Jaehyun just so she won’t look at his twitching hands.

0o0o0

Birthdays don’t actually matter to him, at least. He doesn’t even know his friend’s birthday, but every other day Ten has mentally wished him well, wished Jaehyun a longer life.

It’s after another talk therapy with Doctor Kim when he’s reminded, having forgotten since it’s been ages that it was given importance.

“When is your birthday, Ten? Mr. Jung did not give us an exact day, only that you were 26 when you entered the facility. And it’s been seven months.”

Ten clicks the pen again and again. It’s become a habit that Doctor Kim gave up trying to tell him to stop. “What month is it, Doctor Kim?”

“August.”

“My birthday was a month ago.”

The last celebration he remembers was when he was still young, small but already deadly. He welcomed July 1st, exactly at twelve midnight in the middle of mastering the art of knife throwing, wishing that his father would surprise him when the sun comes up.

Lee Namgyu didn’t come. He stopped believing in the concept of birthdays.

“Very well,” Kim Junmyeon says, sighing. “Then we’ll just celebrate it next time.”

The underlying message makes Ten smile – wicked and vile. “That’s very bold of you to assume I would still be here by next year. Don’t you have to help me get out of here as soon as possible, isn’t that your job?”

“You’re right. But if you haven’t noticed yet, I’m starting to sound like you for we’ve been having these therapies for innumerable times.”

Whether the doctor had said it on purpose or not, the thought of reversing the situation makes Ten Chittaphon’s stomach churn in malicious excitement. In the end, he still one-ups all of them.

***

When he agreed to enter the asylum, he was expecting to welcome boredom and the constant need to escape, to ruin and to reject. He doesn’t expect that it won’t be as bad as he thought when surprised keep coming his way.

Mark never stopped after that first decent conversation. Ten doesn’t even remember when he actually let Mark stick close to him, but days and days passed by, and they’re becoming harder to find without the other.

They’re not exactly friends and not enemies either. He doesn’t know what they are. It doesn’t matter. He won’t keep people he won’t need in the long run.

The surprises don’t stop there for they manifest into another thing that he, in his whole life, will never be able to think of.

Chungha leaves him in the lounging area together with five other men.

“Invictus’ little squad. To what do I the pleasure of having you here in my kingdom?”

“Jaehyun sent us here to visit you.” Doyoung supplements. “We have fifteen minutes max to stay here. We can just stare at each other if you want, but I’m not very good at it. How long can you stare without blinking, Johnny?”

“Taeyong seconds? Fifteen?”

“That’s not very entertaining.” Ten brings his feet on the chair and drums his fingers over his knees. “You know, when you’re confined in an asylum with limited places to go to, it gets tiring pretty fast. Normally I wouldn’t give a fuck but update me about your,” The patient gestures at the couples sandwiching Doyoung. “Your sexual rendezvous. Relationships are not my strong suit, so please, amuse me.”

The first to protest is Taeyong. “Why would I tell you about it?”

“You’re right. You don’t have to tell me when I’ve already seen it. Remember? Are you still using that butt plug, Leechaiyapornkul? Or is Invictus stricter than Red Phoenix about this whole dating thing?”

“It really isn’t your business, Ten.” Yuta’s eyes roll so hard that Ten hopes they fall out of the sockets. “We can go on about this for the remaining 11 minutes if you want. Or maybe you could be nice and ask someone to give out food?”

Ten’s brows furrow as cold blue eyes glare at the Japanese, and Sicheng who is too busy tapping fingers on his phone to spare him a single glance. “You’re the visitor. You’re supposed to be the ones giving me food to eat. Do you know that the meals here are very repetitive that they don’t taste anything anymore? Even my own spit tastes better.”

“Gross.”

“I know, cheeky arsonist. You better work on your conversational skills and span of attention. Ever since that trouble with Dragonaire, I’ve become more vocal than you and you thought there was something wrong with me.”

Doyoung chimes in, slamming a bag of chips on the table. “Is there none?”

Ten grins, taking the junk food and immediately consuming it. “The list is too long for us to find out how many they are.”

It goes on just like what Yuta said, the childish and aimless banter lasting for the rest of their visitation time.

When Chungha leads him back to his room, she doesn’t leave instantly and hands him a bag of gummy bears. “Do you want to tell me who they are?”

“Just some people who hate my guts.”

“Do they have a valid reason to feel that way?”

“Of course they do. You’d be crazier than me to hate someone who did nothing wrong.”

The nurse shakes her head before heading for the door. “Mark is joining the morning exercise so I’ll be here again to wake you early. He said he’ll go if you’ll go.”

“Sure.” Ten zips the bag of gummies close and slides it beneath his pillow as he turns in. “Good night, Chungha.”

“Night, Ten. Sleep well.”

***

He doesn’t sleep well. In fact, he’s been struggling again. From time to time, Chungha rushes to her assigned patient’s room, finding Ten hurting himself – punching, scratching, choking himself. The man would scream, thrash and kick and call names that they do not recognize. She can only deduct their identities to be significant to the patient. She doesn’t know why Ten needs to press the emergency alarm whenever it happens but Jieun’s face crosses her mind each time the caramel-head breaks down, and maybe it’s a reminder that she can redeem herself through him, that this time she can save him before it’s too late.

It’s nearing December and winter is around the corner. Doctor Kim had advised her to keep an eye on him, as Ten once mentioned heinous crimes committed in the past happening during the season. He believes that the change in weather will affect the man’s mood as well as his behavior.

And Kim Junmyeon is right.

Because on the last night of November, nearing the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, the emergency alarm goes off. When they arrive in front of his room, Chungha sees him banging his head against the wall, the blood already trickling down all the whites it reaches.

It takes three male nurses to put him down, with Ten managing to pry out of one’s hold and twisting their arm around, breaking it. The sound of bone dislocating revolts her that she escapes the scene to empty her stomach, unable to watch as Ten is once again losing his battle with himself.

It’s heartbreaking, to say the least. Ten was getting better. But he has his moments of weakness, and whatever that keeps clawing in his mind, gnawing at his efforts to change, she wants to get rid of it. She can’t afford to lose another person in her care.

He gets sedated for the second time. Just as he’s falling on the verge of sleep, when another nurse comes in to take the one he injured and the remaining two carry him to have his wound stitched, Ten mumbles, drowsily staring at something on the ground.

“Stop hurting Olivia, please… Olivia….”

 

 

 

The straitjacket doesn’t get taken off of him. Ten is back to scratch, getting fed by his nurse because he’s not allowed to go out of his room again. Sometimes he finds Mark looking at him through the open blinds, and he’s glad that he’s always so drowsy from more prescribed pills that he can’t read the emotions in the other patient’s eyes – whatever those might be.

Days pass by, slowly and painfully as they remind Ten that it’s been a year since the shenanigans in Paris. Snow piles outside once again and they indulge in free jackets (Ten chooses to wear the clothes Jaehyun packed for him) to get warm in, more blankets and a perfectly working heater. The meals warmed his stomach even more and for the rest of the day, aside from being visited by Chungha for the meals and bath time, he spends the hours either staring into nothing or thinking, thinking,  _thinking_ of things he wants to do once he leaves the asylum.

And everytime he thinks of what he wants to, he comes up with nothing. He doubts he’ll be given a role in Invictus. They won’t need a problematic tormenter, now that Jaehyun is in control. Maybe he’ll stay cooped up in his own room.

But he wants to do  _something_. Ten bets that he’ll be even crazier without anything to distract his fragile state of mind. He wants to laugh. He feels it bubble in his chest upon realizing that he’s basically useless outside of Red Phoenix. Lee Namgyu wanted someone like him because he’s violent, ruthless and horrifying, able to do the dirty works they frequently had.

Would Invictus even need his service?

Is staying here far better than being freed?

And while he continues to think, while he forces his already worn out brain to come up with a solution to all the questions that manage to arise and give him stress, Christmas has arrived like another ordinary morning.

“Where are the others?” He stands by the window, open blinds allowing him to have a look of the hallway. It’s particularly empty. Even Mark is not in his room.

Chungha busies herself with fluffing his pillow and fixing the sheets, humming softly at his question. “They’re all in the recreation room. The patients are very excited to do the exchange gift.”

Ten glances at her through his obstructive caramel fringe. He hasn’t cut his hair yet and it’s been proving to be frustrating to constantly blow the bangs away from his eyes. He’d use his hands to part them, to comb them to the side but ever since the last outburst, he’s been dressed in the straitjacket, only taking it off for when he takes a bath. “What are their gifts?”

“The drawings and letters made in the art class.”

“I haven’t attended the art class in a month.”

“Don’t worry,” The nurse appeases, smiling at him. “Your name was excluded in the draw lots. You don’t have to give anyone anything.”

He would very much  _love_ to give Jaehyun something. Maybe next time when he’s finally given more room to move about.

“Can you take me to the  recreation room? I want to watch them.”

Chungha’s face frowns in worry. “Ten–“

“I’ll stay outside. You can stand next to me. Just to make sure. I’m really bored, Chungha.”

It may be the huge, innocent eyes or the tired, broken voice, but the nurse eventually gives in to his request and holds him by the arm as she takes him to watch the mini party through the window.

An elderly woman is in front, giving a speech. From where he is, he can’t hear any sound from the inside but he can read her lips. The old patient is saying something about happiness and missing her grandchildren, before talking about the person she’s going to give her gift to.

Her present was a portrait of a basket of fruits sitting by the window as the sunlight pours through the drapes. She says it symbolizes hope, that no matter how far, no matter how little and held back you feel at the moment, the sun will shine another day to give people another chance.

They give her applause and one of the nurses asks the two to pose for a photo.

When Ten lets his eyes wander, they land on Mark’s figure sitting in the middle, holding his own drawing. A smile splits the younger patient’s face in half. He almost looks pure and innocent until blue eyes catch sight of a silly movement on the floor, where Mark’s hand creeps inside a young, female patient’s snack basket.

“You can join another party, Ten. Soon.”

“I don’t really care if I don’t. I’m very much satisfied with how I’m doing right now. I’m just bored, alright.”

Chungha nods, eyes trained on the bliss emanating from the recreation room. “What gift would you like to receive?”

“A set of throwing knives.”

The answer surprises her. “Why would you want knives?”

“So I can show you the talent I have. I’m really good at knife throwing. It’s an art, did you know?”

“Ah, no.” She chuckles lightly. “Then I would love to see you give an outstanding performance sometime.”

The party finishes an hour later. The patients pile out with their nurses, and when Mark exits he excuses himself from his nurse to approach Ten. There’s an undeniable glint in the younger patient’s eyes. “Ten, I made you something.”

Mark hands it out, realizing a few seconds later that Ten cannot hold it. A blush blooms on his cheeks. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. But here,” He turns the paper up to show his masterpiece. “Guess who.”

Ten looks at the art, subtly admiring it. “You got my face accurately.”

“I was an art student. Do you like it?”

“I do.”

The Canadian man hands the drawing to Chungha, grinning. “Merry Christmas, Ten. See you later.” Then he walks back to his nurse with bounce in his steps.

“Hmm, this is exceptional.”

“I want you to tape them on the wall next to my bed. Does he have a sign on it?”

“He does.” Chungha giggles and holds his arm. “Let’s go back to your room?”

“Fi–“

“Chungha,” They both turn to the source of the voice, the stuck up head nurse. She’s almost twice Ten’s age and he feels like the woman never liked him. She’s always snarling whenever he’s in sight. “Someone’s in the lounging area for #47.”

Ten is expecting no one. But Chungha wastes no time, afraid of striking the wrong nerve. She brings him to the lounging area where Jaehyun is, immediately leaving to give them some privacy.

“Everytime I come, we’re the only ones in here. Doesn’t anyone else get visitors?”

“You talk as if you come often. You’ve only visited twice. This is the second time.”

Jaehyun smiles, impressed. “I brought you books. And I see you’re wearing my sweater over the uniform. Though it looks funny since the sleeves are hanging limply on the sides.”

“Don’t fuck with me or I’ll break my own bones just to get out of this fucking straitjacket and snap your neck.” Doctor Kim’s voice rings in his head, reminding him to tone down the threats. That’s the one Ten knows he won’t change. Ever. “What are those books?”

“Politics and business?”

Ten releases a long sigh, face blank. “I’m not an Invictus heir, Jaehyun. I don’t need that.”

“Just to keep yourself updated. And I’m not an heir anymore.” There’s a smug look on the younger’s face when he leans back, hands clasped together. “I’m leading Invictus now. I’m the Kingpin.”

The news ignites something in Ten’s chest – something close to pride, but he keeps his face imperceptible, and his eyes dull behind the messy fringe. “Good for your ambitious ass. I believe you’re not about to trample anyone anymore just for you to reach your goals.”

“I’m doing everything with the help of my advisors. The squad, they’re still doing some field work but they’re mainly my assistants now. I’ve established the same official ranking policy from Red Phoenix because I had to evaluate all employees. I had to know who’s valuable and who’s not. Well, it’s my word over anyone else’s, and father could do nothing about it.”

“How creative, how trustworthy. You know what happens to very trusting Kingpins.” Sarcasm drips thickly from Ten’s mouth. “Anything else you want to tell me about the organization? So that I won’t be as clueless as a stray dog when I come back. I’d make myself useful by not being an idiot.”

Jaehyun glares, not liking the insinuation. “You’ll never be useless, Ten. If you really want to know, I’m still trying to stabilize the business transactions with other countries. Some are testing my patience. Apart from that, everything is going just the way they should be. Oh, except for occasional glitches in the system.”

“Glitches?”

“They happen at least once a month. Like there would be traffic in the mails and online transactions and some files, useless files will be missing. Doyoung’s team restores them in seconds anyway. I think it’s just the computers fucking up.”

 _I don’t think it’s just a simple glitch but since you’re very high profile now and still drunk from the ecstasy of succeeding, I’ll let you figure it out,_ Ten thinks, holding back a smirk. “That’s unfortunate. A first-rate mafia like you can’t afford bugs and pests.” 

“I agree.” Jaehyun nods, features now softer. “Your hair is growing back to the length it was before. Will you cut the sides again? You know, like the overgrown mullet you had.”

Blue eyes squint at coal black ones, searching. “I see the fixation is still there.”

“I think I’m fixated on  _you_  now than your hair.”

Before his mind comes up with a witty response, Ten feels his back hit the nearest wall, both him and Jaehyun hidden from the eyes of many.

Demanding lips press against his. Ten doesn’t have a reason to deny Jaehyun so he eagerly kisses back, groaning in between the messy, needy lip-lock. Greedy hands wander all over him, to feel anything they can reach, just as an equally greedy tongue licks inside his mouth to swirl around his, coaxing Ten’s tongue in a duel.

Heat surges in his body, thickening the blood that runs in his veins, quickening the speed of his heart. When Jaehyun’s mouth leaves his only to latch itself on the side of his neck, right on his pulse point, his legs tremble in overwhelming pleasure. Not to mention that the younger seems hell-bent on making him crumble with the teasing rolls of hips, hard-ons pressing against each other.

He’s already panting from the sudden make out, having been denied the sexual pleasure for a long time. Ten admits that in times his hands are free from imprisonment, they find solace beneath his pants, curled around his rigid length and stiff balls caused by the indecent images of Jung Jaehyun.  

His lewd train of thoughts continues, now lead into a more salacious array of memories when teeth sink into his skin, breaking it. A tongue quickly laps over the small beads of blood that ooze from the shallow wound.

“Fucking hell, Jaehyun. Get this fucking jacket off of me I can’t fucking move my hands and I wanna touch you.”

“Shh. Don’t be loud.”

Ten’s chuckle is breathy as Jaehyun’s mouth continues to leave feather light pecks and ticklish licks on his skin and over the seams of his lips. “It doesn’t matter. Everyone is going to know one way or another.”

“What?” Jaehyun stops, confused.

Ten points at the CCTV with his puckered lips. “We’re basically giving them a free show.”

“Fuck,” Jaehyun swears, a hand shooting up to cover his mouth in mortification. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?!”

“You were the one who attacked me.” Ten shrugs before glancing down to his crotch. “How troublesome. I’d have to ask Chungha to let me out of this uniform for a sec just so I can jerk off properly.”

“The nurse?”

Ten’s brows pique in amusement as he looks back at Jaehyun. “Yes. She gives me a bath everyday. Don’t be jealous, you had my body in better ways than she’ll ever do.”

“Shut up.” Red really suits Jaehyun, especially when it’s on his cheeks. “I have to go now. I’m having a conference with Fort in an hour.” He walks back to the seats and grabs his suitcase before stealing a kiss on Ten’s lips and whispering another labored ‘ _Merry Christmas_ ’.

“Good luck with blue balls.” Ten hurries back as a response as Jaehyun leaves before cursing under his breath when Chungha enters the lounging area, flashing a bright smile.

“I would say something but I don’t really want to be choked again.”

“Ha ha, very funny. Take me back to my room. Get the paper bag on the seat, he left that for me.”

She doesn’t say more and follows his orders, taking the paper bag filled with books and leading him back to the room. Ten, still forbidden to be released from the straitjacket, flips the pages of the business book with his foot.

“Goddammit.”

When he turns to the middle of the book, a white paper is stuck on it and Ten immediately flips it around, squinting at what’s written.

Slowly, a smile creeps on his face and brightness replaces the dullness in his deep blue eyes as he reads the series of letters and numbers.

“Merry Christmas to me, indeed.”

_How careless of you, Jaehyun. Why would you use a legal document as your bookmark? Now I know which car to find when I finally leave this cursed place._

 

0o0o0

 

December finishes just like that before another month passes by, then another, and another. Spring is on full bloom in April, and Ten greets it with news that he can wear the ordinary uniform again.

It seems like Kim Junmyeon approves of whatever he’s getting from the therapies. There really wasn’t anything new they talked about, except for the emotions the doctor described as  _confusing._ If even a professional finds a hard time coming to a conclusion regarding Ten Chittaphon’s feelings towards Jung Jaehyun, then what about him? Ten thinks he’s obsessed because Jaehyun looks at him the way no one else does; it can’t even compare to the brief attraction Risa Uehara felt for him. But Doctor Kim pointed out how there’s a possibility that it’s more than just a shallow obsession, that Ten Chittaphon is capable of something along the lines of…. _romance._

To which he laughed at.

Because he already knows it.

It’s just that he can’t believe how someone like him is able to  _love_ another person,  _care_ for another person,  _desire_ another person in ways he never did before. What’s more ridiculous for him is it’s Jung Jaehyun, the new Red Phoenix guy, the accidental babysitter, the one who deliberately shamed him for sins he never did just to climb the power ladder, the person who almost killed him, and now the Kingpin of a first-rate mafia group.

Fate works in ridiculous ways.

Ten is too cruel for such a pure emotion. He believes he’ll never have the kind of life people who are not like him possess. He’ll never  _love_ a person the way Johnny and Taeyong do.

And it’s not because he’s incapable of it.

It’s because he knows he doesn’t deserve it.

***

Time flies fast when Ten sets his mind into the future, on the imagined day he’s going to be out of this prison. He had already pictured it in his head, planned systematically, and all he needs is the perfect opportunity to arise.

He’s not lying when he said he’s smart enough to improvise the way to a successful escape.

Time flies fast and it’s July again. After that Christmas, Jaehyun dropped by two more times. Once in February, on the day of Valentine, coincidentally the man’s birthday as well, and once in May.  

It’s too soon for Jaehyun to visit again, so he frowns when Chungha tells him someone’s waiting in the lounging area after greeting him a cheery  _happy birthday!_

Mark gave him another gift. This time it’s a drawing of the chocolate bar he tried to steal on their first official meeting.

Léonie sits properly, wearing a simple dress just perfect for summer. Her hair is now shaved to a length just barely touching her shoulders. And she looks like a few years were added into her lifespan. Ten wonders if it’s the fortunate life in Invictus that did it. He supposes it’s a good thing.

He takes the seat opposite hers. His blue eyes stare into equally blue ones and he hates the fact that she’s literally a reminder that Ten is related to her.

“If you want to greet me a happy birthday, keep it. The people here already did it for me. It’ll just be repetitive.”

Despite the coldness, she still manages a smile, one that is genuine albeit forced. “…Happy birthday, Ten.”

His eye twitches.  _This woman never fucking listens right away._

“It’s…I’m not going to dawdle and beat around the bush. I want to apologize for only having the courage now to see you.” Her smile begins to falter. Ten’s eyes trail the lines of ageing in her features and instead of ruining her beauty, they oddly give her more radiance. “It’s been 18 months since you left Invictus without a goodbye.”

“Tch. No one needed me to bid them a goodbye. Why,” Ten scoffs in disdain. “Were you expecting me to come say hey, mother I’m just going to the asylum because I’m off the charts crazy, see you later? Like I’m heading to a convenience store? You’re fucking infuriating, Léonie. You make me  _sick._ ”

Just thinking of her trying to hug him and wishing to see him soon makes him want to regurgitate.

The words drive through her heart like stake and she winces visibly, pinching the sides of her dress. “I know.”  _Liar. You will never know._ “And I understand that you will never forgive me now.”  _It’s surprising you’re smart enough to predict that._ “Just… I wanted to apologize because I’ve never… I’ve never tried to redeem myself, and when I had the chance I let it go because I was a coward.” Her voice breaks and she looks like she’s on the brink of crying, but she holds it back with a slight clearing of her throat. “I’ve told you before but I’m very sorry for the things I did and for the things I should’ve done but I didn’t.” Léonie sighs, composing herself. “I don’t deserve a son like you.”

“Damn right you don’t.” Ten’s voice roars that it startles her. His blue eyes are on fire, the deadliest they’ve ever been. He doesn’t give a damn if he hurts her, he doesn’t give a damn if she takes back her apology and realizes seeing him wasn’t worth it. Right now he just wants to give back the pain he’s stored for years and years of putting up a strong front so that no one will break down the walls he made up for himself. “In fact, you shouldn’t even have birthed me. How cruel of you. One parent already abandoned me and Olivia, but that didn’t stop you from neglecting me.”

Ten recalls everything in his childhood and gets no happy memories, not even one. He doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry because he was a cursed child, like she called him then,  that from a fresh age he had learned to shut himself down, which a normal kid shouldn’t have the worst luck of doing.

“The only thing I’m glad you did was you never treated her the way you treated me. I know I was fucked up ever since. But did you have to be ashamed of me? Did you have to deny me of the love and care I needed? Because for fucks’ sake I’m fucking suffering now.” His voice booms in the lounging area, but Ten doesn’t care. Let everyone hear how much of a lost cause he is from the start. “I’m suffering from the consequences. You and what people say are more important than I’ll ever be. You never gave me the fucking…” Ten pauses, struggling to admit his real emotions, to dig up the buried truth. “The fucking attention I craved and now I’m fucking doing it wrong!”

Léonie listens, watches him as he unravels before her. She tries to contain her emotions because someone needs to do it for the both of them. And as Ten continues to break, she remains there, watching her son’s demeanor take the plunging direction.

Ten is trembling, his jaw clenching from how hard he’s trying not to charge, trying not to give in to the demons whispering in both of his ears. “I can’t love people the right way because I never knew how it’s done. I’m  _miserable_ , Léonie.” When he says it, she almost hears the cracks as she feels herself break into more pieces. “I know I have a lot of sins and I’m at fault for letting them happen.” His voice softens yet it still speaks the same volume of hatred. “But do you know that one thing I’ve always wished for but was too mad to admit? Ask me.”

She blinks away the tears. “What is it?”

It must be an illusion, a trick to her blurry vision, but she swears she saw the blue windows to his soul turn mellow, shattered.

What Ten says next confirms that she’ll never be able to sew the torn strings of her heart ever again.

“I wished you were there to stop me during the times it was too dark and I had to paint it red so I could see.” The patient stands up, straightens his uniform. Ten’s face is back to how stoned it usually is, thoughts and feelings inaccessible. “If you don’t have anything else to say, then I’m leaving.”

“Wait!” Léonie shoots up, a hand fishing in her pocket for something. “I haven’t given you my gift yet….here.”

A line forms on Ten’s forehead. “What is it.” He takes it, flips it around and stares at the picture of Léonie, him and Olivia. There are smiles on their faces, except for him. His thumb rubs over his sister’s face before he remembers the last picture of hers that he got – of her naked, carved and tortured to death.

All because of him.

Ten may be crazy, he may think he’s incapable of love but he  _loves_ his innocent sister the most,  _loved_ her even before love was reintroduced to him. Ten will always love Olivia more than anything in the world.

Not even the chocolates, not even the cigarettes, not even the pleasure of killing, and not even Jaehyun.

Something drops on the photo, wetting it.

“I thought maybe you miss her now. So I–“

Léonie doesn’t finish what she wants to say because Ten drops on his knees in front of her, grips on her dress as he sobs his heart out. The sound of his cries echoes into the entirety of the floor, loud and clear, painful and broken beyond repair.

“Why,” Ten asks, eyes continuously releasing salty tears. “Why did you have to hate me, mother? I could’ve stayed. You could’ve tried to pretend I was normal; you could’ve searched for me, kept me and told me you didn’t want me to go even if it was a lie. I could’ve stayed with Olivia and now she’s fucking gone, Namgyu’s fucking gone before I could kill him for leaving us. Why, mother?” He peers up at her distorted image. “Why did you not love me enough to make me stay? Why did you fucking forsake me?!”

He almost rips her dress from how tight and merciless he’s gripping it that some nurses take it upon themselves to prevent more damage from being incurred, tearing him away from her.

No resistance comes from him, only agony as he’s taken away.

Ten is too immersed in his own despair to hear her say ‘ _I love you_ ’ and feel the silent anguish it contains because even if he heard her, he will never believe it.

 

 

***

He doesn’t see her again for the next months. In fact, no one comes to visit him when July ends and August comes, until December hits for the second time around. He continues on with the routine he has picked up over the course of time, finding himself joining in a few art and cooking classes and sitting in socializations, just watching the other patients participate in silly games and activities organized to hone their attitude and behavior, as preparation once they’re ready to face the outside world again.

Ten picks up one or two lessons during the chances he allowed himself to feel, to relate and to fit in.

He learns that it’s nice to talk. He learns that it feels nice not to bottle up his thoughts and wait for them to sizzle until they explode. He learns that he can say anything he wants and it doesn’t matter that they don’t understand, as long as he lets it out, lets the anger and the hatred and all the negativities out in the open because when he did it once in the past socialization he decided to participate in, there was a sudden feeling of cold relief washing in his system. It was soothing.  

Like he was normal for a day.

It was not easy standing in front of a group of more than 40 people with all of their eyes on him, ranging in different colors and sizes, encompassed with expectations and dancing with various emotions. It was not easy. He wanted to lash out, to scream at them not to look at him because he felt exposed, he felt scrutinized and he hated attention.

But he stood throughout the whole five minutes of it, shared his thoughts about being in the asylum, being away from the cycle he already knew, being with people who were substandard in comparison and finished it with a grin on his face because he managed to insult them and still, they never understood. Except for Mark. He was slightly petulant.

Chungha was happy for him. That night, she told him she was proud to see he was trying.

That same night, Ten thought she was smart and dumb at the same time because he wasn’t trying to change. He was only trying to keep up.

Because all of this will come in handy in the future.

And that day has come, exactly on his second Christmas in the facility after the traditional exchange gift. This time he was included and Ten gifted a young patient with his origami, done with hard work. They were all animal origamis.

Mark drew him another picture. It’s of them together. Ten pasted it next to the chocolate bar portrait stuck on the wall.

It’s freezing outside. The patients are in the cafeteria for lunch and they get ham and cheese on their plates aside from the local food. Ten thinks it’s a very,  _very_ special day.

Correction – Ten _knows_ it’s a very special day.

Mark sits next to him, stabbing the ham with the opposite end of his plastic spoon. “Why are you not eating? Don’t you like it?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Why are you playing with your food, shit-for-brains? You’re supposed to eat it.” Ten deadpans before getting out of his seat and padding out of the cafeteria. Mark quickly follows.

“Where are you going?”

“Executing my plans.”

Mark frowns, chewing the corner of his lip. “What are you talking about? Ten, we’ve been close for some time now but I still don’t get you.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head, Mark.” Ten says as he slips into the hallway leading to the clinic. All the doctors and some nurses who are not in the cafeteria with the patients are having their break as well in the dining area only meant for them. “You’ll see.”

Ten stops before the door to the clinic, eyeing the CCTV perched on the corner. “Where are our assigned nurses?”

“Minjun is on his break. Chungha…I don’t know. She’s your nurse.” The younger answers with a sarcastic tone that the blue-eyed dismisses in favor of slipping quietly inside the clinic with Mark following behind like a puppy.

He quickly rummages the cabinets for a particular bottle, knocking over a few of them and nonchalantly steps over the broken pieces that scattered on the floor. Mumbling, he tells Mark to be careful of the slippery floor.

A minute later he finds it. Liquid sedatives. Ten shakes the bottle and regards Mark with malice dripping from his eyes. “Listen. I’m leaving this place.”

His words don’t process until three seconds later and Mark’s eyes widen in disbelief. “You’re leaving?”

“I’ve been waiting for 23 months and I’m perfectly fine but it looks like they want to suck in more money from the fucker who put me in here.” Jaehyun’s face instantly flashes in his mind and the thought of seeing the other in a few hours exhilarates him to the bones, exciting his heart. “Do I even look like I’m crazy? Be honest. What did you think of me when you first saw me?”

Without hesitation, Mark answers. “I thought you were too handsome to be here.”

Ten smirks, pocketing the bottle and says nothing more when they exit the clinic. It’s forbidden for patients to enter premises only meant for the staff but no one is currently around, making it easier for Ten to execute the plan he had been thinking of for months.

He peeks through the small gap on the door and sees that the doctors and nurses are busy talking in the middle of their lunch. After quickly telling Mark not to interfere, he wrenches open the distribution board on the wall and switches off the power supply in the whole building.

Murmurs in the dining area begin and Ten takes advantage of the dark to slip in, spills the whole content of the bottle in the water dispenser and exit the area in a matter of seconds.

When he comes out, Mark is slack jawed that the caramel-head almost feels both apologetic and amused. “They all drink from that dispenser, right?”

“I think so…”

“Good enough. That will take effect as soon as they all feel thirsty and need something to push the food down their throats. That’s enough opportunity for me.”

He knows his plan doesn’t guarantee that everyone will be out like a light, but when most of them collapse it’ll be the perfect time to escape. Ten won’t stay in here for another day. He can already feel himself rot.

Ten turns the power on and quickly slips back inside the clinic to take an extra bottle, remembering the security. Using what he’d learned from the training given by Red Phoenix, he manages to slip the tablet in one of the guard’s coffee mug. It will dissolve fast enough and he just needs to wait.

To avoid suspicion, even if it won’t matter anymore, Ten heads back to the cafeteria, still followed by a dumbfounded Mark. He settles in his previous seat, hands clasped on his lap while the hands of the clock in his mind tick, counting seconds and minutes. While it counts, his blue eyes go over the entirety of the room, scanning the faces he came to know in the past 23 months.

He will not miss any of them. He doesn’t want to see any of them again.

Maybe except for two specific people.

Approximately ten minutes later, someone barges in, a female nurse calling the others’ help. A guard stands next to her as they announced the strange phenomenon in the staff’s dining area. The other nurses follow, leaving the patients with a gazillion of threats and reminders.

Ten counts  _one, two, three_ before shooting out of his seat, drags Mark and locks the door with a cable he found and kept for this, locking the cafeteria from the outside. He sees one of the guards down on the floor, unconscious.

Panic radiates off of the other patient when Ten rushes up to the third floor. “When are you coming back? Will you come back for me?”

“You think you’re so special.” His hair bounces over his shoulders as he sprints to his room, taking a paper from the business book Jaehyun gave him. “If you shut up I’ll come back to visit you.”

“Really?” Hope is apparent in the younger’s tone as he follows the older yet again.

Ten doesn’t answer. He’s running out of time. Soon the nurses will gather the patients to send them back to their rooms.

As he makes a turn to the hallway leading to the emergency exit, Chungha emerges with a phone in her hand, giving them a look of absolute confusion. “What are you doing here? Lunch is not over yet…”

“Chungha.”

“What?”

“Who are you talking to on the phone?”

She frowns, glancing at the phone in her hand before slipping it in her pocket. “It’s my girlfriend. Why? Why are you acting so strange?”

Ten pulls out a cloth from his pocket and more cable ties. “I think we have some bidding a goodbye to do, Chungha.”

Before she can open her mouth, Ten shifts behind her, knocking her off with a single chop on the back of her neck. Chungha falls limp in his arms and he quickly drags her across the floor, dropping her near the emergency exit door.

Horror falls on Mark’s face as the older patient ties the cable around her wrists and gags her with a cloth obviously torn from some clothes.

“She’s going to wake up soon. When she does I want you to tell her she cannot say a thing. Only when you know she won’t rat us out should you remove the restraints.” Ten orders him, snatching the keys from her pocket. “Tell her I didn’t want to hurt her and that I’m sorry, and that I’ll come see her again.”

He unlocks the door, takes a quick glance in the hallway and looks at Mark with a smirk. “Thank you, kid. For keeping me sane.”

Ten disappears through the fire exit, braving the cold as he climbs down the stairs glued to the wall. He hops off of it when he’s only a foot high and runs off, forcing his legs in a sprint as the chilly wind pricks his skin like a thousand needles.

The asylum shrinks inch by inch behind him as he dashes, long, caramel hair drifting through the harsh winter breeze. Ten pulls out the paper where a car plate is written on, smirking as he remembers the smooth stunt he pulled only yesterday, casually asking Doctor Kim if Jaehyun was dropping by for Christmas. And the oblivious doctor, having bought his acting and improved state, carelessly told him about the recent email the Invictus Kingpin sent. Jaehyun was not dropping by. He informed that he was shopping for his family members.

 _Bullshit._ Ten knew the family members are the squad. And Jaehyun, ever so trusting and careless Jaehyun should’ve thought of another excuse.

Now, Ten needs to locate the nearest shopping mall to the headquarters and dare find someone that may or may not be there. Though even if Jaehyun isn’t there, then Ten will find him, like how he did before.

Ten will always find him.

From the distance, he sees a motorcycle coming his way. It must be some patient’s visitor. Ten runs through the snow, the wind biting through the thin fabric of his uniform. He runs, runs, runs with a sole purpose in mind.

The motorist, poor clueless man drives straight, unsuspecting of the escapee. He’s a little too late to see the danger as Ten grabs him by neck, using all of his arm strength to drag the man from his seat and slams him down the snowy concrete. The motorcycle drops to the ground, spiraling over the white snow before hitting the closest tree.

The caramel-head steps over the stranger, removes the helmet and grins at the sight of the unconscious man. “Sorry about that, I kinda need a ride.” The helmet soon sits on his head and Ten walks back to pick up the motorcycle, hopping on it in a sec and hastily turns around, driving on full throttle. He doesn’t even mind dying from the cold anymore. A man with a purpose will only die after all is done.

It takes him a few minutes to reach the shopping mall, thanks to his daredevil skills of counter flow and beating the red light. The guard doesn’t even bat an eye at his lack of appropriate clothes when he enters the parking lot, face still hidden by the helmet.

He immediately finds a free spot, leaving the motorcycle and the key inserted to the ignition as he goes to work – searching for Jung Jaehyun’s car among the sea of many.

“4198…4198….Where are you,” Ten hums, scanning each vehicle’s car plate. When he finishes the first level, he goes to the second, scanning and just walking around until he reaches the third, stopping in front of a white Maserati Levante.

His blue eyes shine bright as he crouches in front of it, chuckling deviously. “Well hello there…”

 

0o0o0

 

It’s a busy day. The malls are bustling as people do their last-minute shopping spree for Christmas. Twinkling lights of assorted color hang from the walls and ceilings and a tall Christmas tree, 10 feet in height is situated in the middle of the ground floor. Fake presents surround the foot of the tree and young couples, as well as families with their little kids take pictures to solidify a good memory.

Jaehyun watches them for a while. It’s busy back in the HQ as well, but for a different reason. None of them knows a holiday break in their calendars. They don’t have families to go home to, at least most of them. He has his father but the old man instilled in him the same workaholic mindset: A day out of the HQ keeps the money away.

He snorts at the memory. His father told him that when he was young, when he begged the old man to let him join the group. Jaehyun was a distracted boy who couldn’t keep his attention on one thing. His father had been worried that he wouldn’t be able to take the work seriously.

Now, he has finally proven him wrong. Invictus has changed their status to a first-rate mafia organization, partnered with Garnet for being the distributors of Asian women in Europe, and primary drug dealers all over Asia. He had tried his luck and came back to France, explaining everything to Fort. Casanov was against it. It was huge money taken away from them. But Garnet was stronger, knowing they were at fault too and had convinced Casanov to cut their ties, and the former paid a hefty penalty for the contract termination. Invictus had started catering to Red Phoenix’s previous clients, expanding their network.

Invictus has replaced Red Phoenix for being the only Korean partner group of Garnet.

Tonight, he will be on a flight back to France for a meeting with Fort. It’s regarding the sales and other concerns that they cannot just discuss through a video conference.

It’s been two years. Two years since Red Phoenix’s demise, two years since the failure in Paris, two years since  _that night_ he wholeheartedly regrets.

Jaehyun shakes off the memory. He can’t be distracted. With one last glance at the Christmas tree, the new Kingpin of Invictus walks ahead, excited to give his presents to the squad.

A paper bag containing a woman’s dress hits his leg at every movement. Jaehyun had warmed up to Léonie. She’s like the mother he lost. He believes she deserves a present from someone, even though he’s not related to her.

His phone rings, pulling him out of his thoughts. Jaehyun fishes it from his pocket, frowning immediately when he recognizes the number from the private asylum.

“Hello?”

_“Mr. Jung! Something happened!”_

“What is it?” Jaehyun enters the parking lot, stopping right next to his car.

_“Patient 47 has escaped! Please come over. We’re sorry we fa-“_

He quickly hangs up, cutting off the call. Jaehyun unlocks the car and tosses the bags to the passenger’s seat, quickly buckling up. A few curses slip out of his mouth.

“ _God_. Right on Christmas of all days!”

He almost collides to an SUV, abruptly stepping on the brake. Jaehyun’s body grows rigid, unmoving as he catches sight of a mop of caramel hair from his periphery.

Ten Chittaphon leans forward from his position in the backseat, tilting his head to the side in an eerie manner as a wide smile adorns his face. His long hair, now reaching the middle of his chest touches Jaehyun’s arm, tickling the skin.

“Merry Christmas, Jaehyun. Did you miss me?”

Getting over the initial shock, Jaehyun looks at the empty space ahead and then back at Ten. His eyes are bulging, mouth agape. “What the fuck? Ten–“ As he reverses to his parking space, Jaehyun curses under his breath. “What the fuck? You fucking escaped! How did you even find me?!”

A piece of paper slaps against the Kingpin’s cheek. It’s cold as ice and damp. It just falls right on his lap.

“Were you too proud of purchasing your own car that you had to subtly tell me? I found that in the business book. I think you used it as a bookmark because your ass was too lazy to get an actual one.” Ten’s head rests over the shotgun seat. “And you told Doctor Kim about shopping today.” Squinting, he straightens and flicks the younger’s arm. “Listen, Jaehyun. You really need to work on lying. What kind of a first rate Kingpin are you? So careless.”

Jaehyun’s mind is in a state of calamity. He wants to ask Ten  _how_ the older found him in a place he never mentioned in the mail. But a more pressing matter gravely knocks on his sense, reminding him that Ten Chittaphon just illegally left an asylum and from what he picked up from the call, the place is in chaos.

“I’m sending you back. What the hell did you do?” Jaehyun changes the gear, driving out of the parking lot.

He doesn’t stop Ten from taking the bags, not caring what the other wants to do about them. Soon an asylum escapee sits himself on the shotgun seat, quickly buckling up. Huh, at least he knows not to make Jaehyun worry about his safety now.

“I drugged the doctors and nurses. Remember what I told you back in the cabin? Actually – don’t answer me. I know you forgot. But I told you I would know how to sneak out even if you put me in the maximum security prison.” The mischievous lilt in his tone slightly aggravates Jaehyun. “See where I am now? Next to you.”

Without warning, Ten grabs the steering wheel and pulls it to make a turn, haphazardly sending the car swerving. The road is slippery because of the snow and Jaehyun’s heart pounds in his chest when the wheels screech.

“Woah! Hey!” Jaehyun screams, slapping Ten’s hand away from the steering wheel. “Are you trying to kill us?!”

The mischief in his voice is replaced with the lifeless tone that screams Ten Chittaphon. “Drive back to Invictus.” The order leaves no room for protest. “You’re not sending me back to the asylum.”

The whole situation is grating on Jaehyun’s nerves. He’s not supposed to be in such mess on this day. He would call one of the squad members to assure the asylum but he can’t risk a text and drive. He needs to deal with the matter currently at hand. “No, Ten. You escaped. Do you understand the gravity of that? You weren’t supposed to be out ye–“

“Then when?!” Ten growls as he grips the seatbelt and digs his nails on the rough strap. “I’m fine now! I don’t need them anymore! Clearly you know what happened to me in that place.”

Jaehyun tries to focus on the road but all he sees is Ten bleeding after repeatedly slamming his head against the wall.

“Not tryna guilt trip a sonnuva bitch like you or anything, but after telling you a thousand times it still doesn’t come to your sense that you only need to stay for me to behave. Wasn’t I in my best behavior back in the cabin?”

He knows the last question is sarcastic and Ten is only trying to annoy him.

“No. Fuck you, you tried to choke me there.”

“True but it was just for fun. I compensated you after, right?” Ten grins as he bites down his thumb, liking the way Jaehyun’s eyes shake. “In the asylum I strangled a nurse and broke another one’s arm. If they were you then I wouldn’t hurt them. As simple as that.”

Slightly distracted, Jaehyun casts a quick glance at Ten before returning his attention back on the road. His pace is slow, partly due to the dangerous snow and partly because he’s beginning to think twice about sending Ten back to the asylum.

He won’t say it out loud but he greatly missed the other.

Ten grunts, rubbing his feet together. “I’m fine now. Take me to the HQ and call Doctor Kim if you’re skeptic. You can even ask my friends there.”

His mind screeches to a halt. “You made friends?” Jaehyun asks, completely disbelieving.

“Don’t be jealous. You’re still the top friend and I mean it in more ways than one.”

“ _God.”_ A frustrated whine rips out of the young Kingpin’s throat. “What do I do? Should I take your words seriously?”

“I worked on my temper well, Jaehyun. My threats now are mostly empty.”

“Mostly. And for the rest?”

A wicked smile splits Ten’s face in half. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out. Now drive back to Invictus so I can say hi to your little squad.”

***

The sight of Ten Chittaphon makes Johnny drop his phone. “What in tarnation…”

Jaehyun slams the car door close, locking it automatically. “Call everyone and come to the meeting room. All present employees, Johnny.”

“Right away!” The man frantically picks up the phone before hurrying back inside to leave an announcement through the intercom.

The Kingpin drags Ten by the wrist to the meeting room, and the latter immediately rips his arm out of the younger’s hold.

“Stop manhandling me, bastard. I can still snap your neck if I want to.”

“The thing is,” Jaehyun sighs, scratching his brow. “You don’t want to. Now please take a seat before everyone piles in.”

In the next three minutes, employees began to fill the meeting room. Murmurs resonate in the whole place and Ten slouches in his seat, resting both feet on the table.

The stares don’t make his skin crawl anymore.

A loud, clearing of throat shuts them up. Jaehyun stands in front, authoritative in his expensive suit and coat with his black hair brushed up. A silver watch embedded with diamonds wrap around his wrist, and it finally dawns on Ten that this person in front of him is a highly respected Kingpin.

Not that it changes his impression. Jaehyun is still the same ambitious, devastatingly attractive man that he was before.

“This will only last for a minute. I know there’s a ton of work to do. See this guy?” Jaehyun cocks his head at Ten’s direction. “Whatever you’re thinking, it must be correct. As much as he’s…different, Ten Chittaphon is as valuable as every single one of you.” His coal black eyes skim over different faces, trying to trace a hint of violent reactions. He finds none. “I’m telling you all this because this wasn’t planned.”

Ten lets his head loll back, his eyes glued on Jaehyun’s. A smirk finds its way to his mouth when he catches the swift glance of the other’s eyes on the length of his hair flowing down the backrest of the seat. Three days ago, he asked one of the asylum staff to shave the side of his hair and leave a tail in the middle to reminisce the style he had before Red Phoenix’s war with Dragonaire.

“I don’t know if there’s an improvement,” Jaehyun squints at him. “But make sure you step out of the way. You’ll thank me if you ever manage to retire perfectly intact. Now get back to your work. Take my words gravely.”

Silence looms over when everyone exits the room, leaving the Kingpin and his advisors with Ten.

Doyoung sighs, uncrossing his arms. “I suppose we gotta take care of the asylum and pay whatever damage was caused.”

“Please do. And message a clothing store. Buy as much as you want in his size.”

“Alright.” Doyoung opens his laptop, cracks his knuckles and immediately goes to work.

“I want it all black, Doyoung.”

The sound of his name coming from Ten’s mouth makes him feel strange. It’s the first time he actually heard the other call him by his given name and not with anything lame.

Yuta glances at the blue-eyed man next to him. “I can’t believe this…”

“Me too,” Ten brings his feet down, turning the swivel chair around to face the Japanese. “I can’t believe you’re still hostile.”

The accusation makes Yuta frown. “Who said that? It’s been ages. I’m over it.”

“Oh really. That’s good to hear. How about you two, do you have something to say? Taeyong? Sicheng? Have you worked on your talking skills?”

Winwin shrugs. “I use it when I have something important to say.”

Ten chuckles, throwing up a hand lazily. “That’s smart.” He takes a better look at the Chinese man. “No, I’m serious.”

“I’m just glad you found Jaehyun so fast.” Taeyong finally speaks from his spot next to Johnny, pursing his lips. “You could’ve died from hypothermia.”

“Well is that concern I hear? Because if it is,” Shoving a thumb in his mouth, Ten sucks. “Then thank you.”

Johnny squirms in his seat. “Jaehyun he’s broken.”

“He totally is.” Yuta adds up, sounding amused.

Doyoung aggressively presses down a key, startling them. “Shut up, you bunch of fools. Ten Chittaphon?” He then slams the laptop close, staring right into a pair of blue eyes. “Congratulations on improving.”

“…Thanks.”

“This is so weird.”

“Right. What else should I do?” Jaehyun looks around before releasing an exasperated sigh. “Just go back to work, guys. Inspect the shipments. Winwin, please get the bags in my car. I forgot I got you presents – and Léonie has something there, please send it to her.”

At the mention of his mother, Ten turns away, still nibbling the pad of his thumb.

Sicheng brightens up, catching the car keys thrown at him. “Damn, being friends with a Kingpin is so great!”

Excited by the news, everyone immediately leaves the two. Ten scoffs at the perennial childishness of the squad.  

Jaehyun taps him on the shoulder. “Come on; let’s get you changed before I show you around.”

***

Just like before, Ten gets to wear the younger’s clothes although some of them are significantly big on him.

The Kingpin shows him around the new Invictus headquarters. It’s definitely bigger now, having extended with annexes on both sides. The previous building was expanded in length rather than height.

And it certainly gives off a Red Phoenix vibe now with its power and status.

Jaehyun leads him through floors and hallways, showing the offices and different departments and most especially, the new vending machine stocked with sweets.

Ten scans the cafeteria, attention lingering at the counter. “Where is she?”

“What do you–“ Jaehyun pauses, humming in understanding. “Léonie has stopped cooking for us three months ago. Don’t worry, she has her own place away from the hustle of the HQ. Your mother’s safe.”

He doesn’t say anything in response to that but Ten nods before Jaehyun takes him to the storage room where boxes and boxes of drugs are being brought in.

“Where’s your father?” Ten asks out of the blue, slipping his hands in his jeans’ pockets. “The last time I was here, I knew he made it clear Invictus wasn’t about to turn into charity.”

“Dad retired when I took over. He’s on an overseas vacation, actually. Or I don’t know if it’s still called a vacation since he’s been in Connecticut for two months. He’s gonna plan to stay there for good, I guess.” The Kingpin supplements before calling out the inspector – a tall man with sharp features,  _Oh Sehun_ to do a recheck on the packages.

Without anything more to ask, Ten keeps quiet, watching the men of Invictus move around. The busy air reminds him so much of Red Phoenix that he asks Jaehyun at one point to take him away where it’s quiet and doesn’t reek of the old memories.

He finds himself soon in the younger’s private office, leaning against the mahogany desk.

There are shelves of books on the right side, built in the wall. Brown takes over in the entirety of the room with a few exceptions, just like the crimson carpet beneath his boots. A window reaching the ceiling is open, drapes pushed to the side to show the light drizzling of snow outside. It’s facing the main gate and nothing else is around, just trees covered in white.

“I have a flight later at 7 PM. It’s getting harder to discuss stuff with Fort through video conference. I’m afraid it’ll require me to fly there at least twice a month.”

“What exactly are you afraid of?” Ten tears his eyes away from the window and looks at the man standing on his left. “The hectic schedule or the possibility that I’ll regress in the times you’re not around and you’ll just find Invictus into a chaotic state, because the psychotic jerk decided it was too boring being nice?”

“You’re underestimating yourself, Ten. I’m not your lifeline. I shouldn’t be the only reason you’re trying to improve yourself.”

Ten suddenly chuckles, amused. “You’re right. You know what? I learned something during my stay in the asylum. Ask me what it is.”

A smile slowly forms on the Kingpin’s face, remembering how the other likes to be asked instead of initiating. “Tell me what it is.”

“I learned that…” Ten drawls, absently tugging on his braided hair and resting it over his shoulder. He stops before Jaehyun with barely an inch in between. “…that in order to survive the fight with your demons, you gotta set a goal. You hold on to that goal, and until you get it, have it wrapped around your fingers, you do not stop working for it, whatever it takes.”

Thin lips brush over fuller ones, teasing. “I found my goal, Jaehyun. After 28 years. Though you’re near, you’re still far. I can think of other goals to set, but I’ll get right on them once I’m done with you.”

Sans warning, Ten grips the flaps of Jaehyun’s coat and slams the Kingpin against the desk, sending the papers in a clutter on the ground.

Mouth meshed together, the two forget about reality. Time stops with the hands of the clock frozen, and the rest of the world is down. Blood rushes throughout their bodies, hot and thick, like the wild fire burning red and blue in their chests.

At some point Jaehyun’s waist starts to hurt and he pushes the older away, severing their lips. A thin string of saliva connects their lips and Ten licks it off before leaning in, taking Jaehyun’s bottom lip in between his teeth to nibble and suck.

It swells and it reddens, that Ten’s eyes dilate when he’s done with it. Jaehyun looks so damn inviting, Ten wishes to ravish him, but he’s got another idea at the moment. Something they haven’t tried before.

Jaehyun groans at the sight of Ten Chittaphon, ruthless murderer, down on his knees. His fly is open in a blink of an eye and the next thing he knows, his hard, pulsating length is in his  _friend_ ’s grip.

“Couldn’t you have waited ‘til we get back to your room?” His breath hitches just as the teasing touch of a tongue licks from the base, slowly, tantalizingly, ‘til Ten’s mouth wraps around the bulbous tip.

They exchange no further words, conversation long forgotten since their minds are now occupied with something, of lurid obscenities.

Moans, curses and grunts fill the office, bouncing back and forth against four walls. Jaehyun’s hand cards through the caramel tresses he missed dearly before tugging as harsh yet as careful as he can. He pulls, pulls, pulls while his hips push, retaliating against the onslaught of pleasurable attacks coming from Ten’s hot mouth, added with the skillful swirls and licks of a thick, pink tongue.

“Fuck,” Jaehyun breathes out, emitting more moans than intended. It’s embarrassing to say the least, how quick he’s reaching his climax and how far gone he is for the other. He almost wobbles, losing a bit of balance and quickly grips the edge of the desk with his free hand.

Mouth full, Ten looks up, blue eyes meeting coal black ones just as he performs another series of wonders with his tongue. The slick muscle’s tip dips on the slit, and a moan is torn out of his throat at the explicit taste of the younger’s oozing cum. Jaehyun gets even more vocal, tightening his hold on Ten’s hair.

When a calloused hand decides to send his mind into frenzy by kneading his balls, Jaehyun cries out. Ten’s name spills from his lips like liquid ecstasy, like a million year-old chant. It doesn’t stop, continues ringing and buzzing until he can’t take it anymore and finally lets go, shooting his load down the tight column of Ten’s throat.

Heat surges down his body. Ten sucks Jaehyun dry, to the point that the younger hurts because he keeps taking, taking, taking even when there’s no more to have. Greed cloaks him at the moment as he keeps his hand pumping, although lackadaisical. The last sporadic spurts of cum drop on his tongue before he feels the length soften and Ten shows some decency of tucking it back.

The sound of his zipper closing sends his face into another bout of burning flames. Ten grins, lips swollen and stained. Jaehyun lets go of the other man’s hair when he realizes he hasn’t even released it yet.

“I take it that you don’t need a heater anymore when I can just provide the same service?”

The door slams open. “Jaehyun you need to ge–“. Doyoung stares at the both of them. “Am I intruding?”

“Oh no, you’re not. We just had,” Ten straightens his shirt, tugging the hem past his crotch. It hides the evidence from Doyoung’s eyes. “A very nice reunion.”

Doyoung nods, looking doubtful. He’s about to turn to Jaehyun when his eyes widen, noticing something on Ten’s lips. “What…is that?”

Ten licks off the remnant on his lips, smacking. “Didn’t someone tell you that you got glazed donuts back in the cafeteria?”

“No…“ Doyoung gawks in realization. “Seriously? What are you two, teenagers with heightened hormones? Keep it in your pants, for heaven’s sake. And – urgh.” He walks past Ten, picking up the cluttered documents. “Jaehyun, Fort wants all of us in Garnet, in case you’re forgetting things. He left a mail so you better reply immediately.”

Still dazed, the Kingpin gives a disgruntled response before walking out, heading somewhere both of the remaining men in the room doesn’t know.

Ten then helps the other with arranging the files. “Sorry about that; I got carried away.”

“You know, if this happened before you got in the asylum, you’d say ‘do I give a fuck? He wants it too’. You’d blame Jaehyun and say it’s just sex, get over it.” Doyoung looks at him. “Is it just sex?”

“You’re asking the wrong questions, Kim.” A pile of papers lands in Doyoung’s hands. “What you’re supposed to ask me is if it’s good.” Ten smirks, making a lewd show of licking his lips. “And it is.”

He won’t blame Doyoung if the other takes the congratulations back.

***

The whole squad arrives at the airport apron. Some Invictus men in black suits carry their luggage to load them in the jet.

“So,” Yuta starts, taking off his shades. “Why exactly are we taking him with us?”

“You could’ve just asked me, Jap.”

Yuta intercepts to call out his glaring racism that the knife thrower only ignores. “I told Jaehyun I wanted to go. You got a problem?”

The Japanese huffs, peeved by the derogatory name. “No. I was just curious.”

“Curiosity got the cat, curiosity well fed.” Ten’s hair dances in the merciless wind, and he rakes a hand through it, combing to untangle the strands. “When are we getting on?”

“Right now,” Jaehyun checks his watch before beckoning them to follow. “Come on.”

 

 

***

It’s 10:30 in the evening when they leave the Charles de Gaulle airport. Rain pours hard nonstop ‘til they get to the Gambetta house.

Ten whistles, dragging his luggage inside. “I have a very vivid memory of this place.”

It takes Jaehyun aback. The Kingpin frowns, clearly despising the unsolicited comment. “Please get rid of that memory, Ten. I’m beat; can we not instigate a fight? I have a very early meeting with Fort and I don’t really wanna go to bed mad.”

“Sure, sure. When are you leaving?”

“7 in the morning. I’ll drive myself there.” Jaehyun quickly dumps his things in his room, the one he had claimed before. Ten occupies the one at the far end of the hall. “Is everyone going to be fine here? I mean, I’m taking Doyoung and Johnny with me. You four will be fine, right?” He scans their faces, putting more attention on the blue-eyed man.

Ten shrugs indifferently. The old him would be locking the younger in a chokehold for insinuating he’s a child.

The old him is gone.

Or so everyone, including him, thinks.

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself  _but_ if I ever mess up, I’ve got three reliable nannies with me.” Blue eyes trail over Taeyong, Sicheng and Yuta’s direction. It amuses him that they’re not even trying to talk back.

“Very well,” Jaehyun, satisfied with the response, tells his assistants for the meeting to turn in for some rest.

Left with nothing much to do, Ten drags his luggage to a room and locks it with a soft click, strangely concerned with not being a disturbance to the rest. His bag bounces on the bed when it meets the mattress, soon opened as he rummages for the bag of sweets he made sure to pack.

Sweet, milk chocolate melts in his mouth as his eyes roam the entirety of the room he’ll be occupying for a few days. It’s big enough for a decent-sized bed, a nightstand and a small table partnered with a plush chair pressed to the wall. The drapes on the window are peach in color, and the carpet on the floor is the same. Ten removes his shoes to rub his soles over the soft fabric.

He knows Jaehyun doesn’t want him to remember  _that_ night, and he too, would like it to magically disappear from every part of his brain, but it’s insistent in staying there, tattooed for life. Recalling the second his eyes landed on his mother and the searing pain on his side, the caramel-head feels something in his stomach churn, like an exigent perturbation.

When his hand digs under the pile of clothes in his bag, expecting to grasp a bottle, he wraps his fingers around nothing instead. It slipped his mind. It slipped everyone’s mind. He didn’t get to steal a bottle or two of medicines from the asylum and no one from the squad even thought of a relapse, not even Taeyong. Well, he can’t blame them. He can manage himself.

So he forces the past memories to vanish, to evaporate for now at least, because the longer they linger in his head, the more threatening the possibility of a relapse will be. He learned something from Doctor Kim. He has to utilize that.

No sounds come from the outside. Everyone has retired to their respective rooms, either to get more sleep, something they don’t usually get back in Korea, or to do whatever that Ten doesn’t care about. It’s 6:30 in the morning in Korea. His body clock can’t adjust right away so after kicking the bag off of his bed, uncaring of the clothes that spilled out, Ten buries himself under comfortable sheets to stare at the ceiling until the sunrise comes.

When the Kingpin, Doyoung and Johnny are gone the next day, the mouse finally comes out of his room to play.

Ten drags the two men, sans a still sleeping Yuta to the living room, now free of the useless computers except for one at the corner.

“This is so weird. How are you touching us without gagging?” The Thai nurse comments mischievously, not even irked by the other’s presence anymore. The past two years without Ten did everyone good.

Ten plops sideways on the couch, legs perched over the armrest. “I was trained, if you really wanna know. Like conditioning. You know, that Pavlov theory. Not exactly that per se, but you get it. Everytime I get close to people or I find myself in a crowd, I think of something that distracts me, something worth thinking of rather than the jitters in my nerves.”

“And those are?”

“Quite a few things.” He mentally goes over a list, head titled back. “But the strongest compulsion is Jaehyun’s eyes. Listen, I don’t know what’s with them, alright. But they distract me – sometimes.”

A rare comment directed to him comes from Winwin. “That’s so gay.”

“Okay, fucker. How about you tell me what’s gay since you’re obviously into Nakamoto Yuta?”

“Erm,” Winwin stands, walking to the kitchen. “Coffee?”

Ten snorts at the other’s not so smooth dodge. “How thoughtful. Please, I want one.”

Hearing him say  _please_ still bother the two in an amusing way.

Taeyong yawns and rubs one of his eyes. “Aren’t you both tired? I haven’t even unpacked when this guy dragged me here.”

“Bullshit. All of you literally slept during the flight  _and_ ‘til I decided to get you two out of your rooms.”

“…All of us? You mean to say –“

An exasperated groan leaves thin, pink lips. “Taeyong, for fuck’s sake alright, I know your job is to worry yourself with other people’s health. I got plenty of sleep in the asylum. That’s all I ever did among a few others.”

Winwin busies himself with brewing coffee as well as joining in the conversation. “Tell us about it. You know, Jaehyun was updated with your status but it doesn’t mean we also were. You know we don’t care much about you since you can take care of yourself. Stronger than a Diamond, aren’t you? But since we’re talking and there’s nothing to do,” He finally comes back, handing Taeyong and Ten their mugs. “Spill some anecdote.”

The heat of the mug is perfect in his hands in the middle of cold, rainy Paris weather. “Demanding piece of shit. Alright.” Ten blows on the coffee before taking a sip. It trickles nicely down his throat. “So patients got these all-white rooms. There’s nothing in it but a thankfully soft bed. When you need assistance you press a button on the wall. You get personal nurses. When you’re not allowed to leave your room you get fed there. The nurses bathe you whether you like it or not. There were cooking and art classes and morning exercise, sometimes these little gatherings where you just chat. If the weather’s good you get to play outside. Checkups and therapies, lots of them.”

“That actually doesn’t sound so bad? Except for the bathing part.”

“It doesn’t.” Ten takes a bigger gulp and it burns his tongue, but he feels no pain. Nothing will amount to the few things he experienced in the psychiatric facility. “Until you fuck up and you’re forced to wear a straitjacket until the doctor pities you.”

Taeyong visibly winces at the imagery. “Was it ever hard? I mean, it was, you just said so, but…anything else?”

It takes him a few seconds to come up with an answer, reminiscing the times he almost followed the footsteps of Kim Chungha’s previous patient. “When it got suffocating because you felt like you were in a prison. And since you got nowhere to go, you gotta face the demons lurking around until they just sedate the fuck out of you because, I’m gonna be honest, there’s no way out ‘til they knock you out.”

“I kinda feel sorry but honestly, you needed it…?”

Ten looks at the Chinese arsonist. “When you said you only speak the important stuff, I guess you weren’t lying. It’s true.” Uncaring of the heat, Ten chugs the remaining of his coffee. It already slightly cooled down anyway. “So what time are they coming back?

The Thai nurse puts his mug down the coffee table before glancing at his wristwatch. “It usually finishes in a few hours. Then for the rest of the stay here we just go around before heading back to Korea.”

“Sweet. And Jaehyun really brings all of you everytime? Can definitely afford it now, huh?”

“We need a break too. Ever since Invictus boomed, we rarely got seconds to breathe. Consider it a privilege.”

“Mm, I will. Though I don’t think I’d want to travel here with you every time he has to meet Fort. Aside from I’ve really got nothing to do and travel is not my thing, I had ugly experiences here two years ago.”

“Uh,” Winwin regards him with caution. “Does it make you uncomfortable?”

“No,” Ten finds the loose thread on the armrest of the couch far more interesting as he begins to play with it. “But they’re ugly experiences. You leave ugly experiences behind you, Doctor Kim said. But I can take it. I have a choice whether I wanna go with you or not.” Suddenly remembering something, Ten straightens up. “Hey, you know I made friends in there.”

Taeyong lets out a weird noise, looking at him funny. ”Unbelievable.

“Fuck you. Their names are Chungha and Mark. Chungha was my nurse. Mark’s a Kleptomaniac. Actually I never considered Mark my friend but since he kinda helped me escape and he’s honestly nice, I guess he’s a friend now. They’re cool. I told them I’d come back to visit them. But I know that’s uncertain.”

“They’re gonna lock you up again, though? You really had to bid them goodbye, you jerk.”

A smirk forms on his face. “They can try. They should know by now I’m a  _very_ special case.”

***

The meeting has been going on for two hours. Apparently, there’s more to discuss than the previous meetings since the business is going steady and more and more countries are trying to get ahold of their products.

Doyoung and Johnny keep track of the conversations for Jaehyun to review back in Invictus.

“So, we have to take advantage of that. I mean, this is money already crawling our way.” Jaehyun suggests, twirling a pen with his fingers.

Fort nods, agreeing with him. “It’ll be very advantageous for us. Though it might be overwhelming. But I trust that you and I will be hand in hand in this. How’s the local headquarters, by the way?”

“Doing more than fine. It’s going on 24/7, nonstop.”

“A great news, isn’t it? Keep it up.” Yunho smiles, glancing over to the other two for a few seconds before continuing. “As for the plan to build an HQ here, have you come to a final decision yet?”

“I would very much like to build an HQ here, although smaller. I just need a place where it’ll be easier to process these international operations and the business plans I want to start here in France. And I might stay over a few months.”

The Garnet kingpin replays his words over and over in his mind, head titled the slightest bit when he stares Jaehyun in the eyes. “I want you to think that thoroughly. I know that you’re incredibly capable of conquering the black market but you’re one man, Jung Jaehyun. Please think of this again and preferably discuss it with your advisors.”

The clock strikes 10 in the morning. Yunho rises from his seat, concluding the meeting. “I’ll have the files mailed to your system right away. I appreciate your willingness to come over for the personal meetings, most especially that you just landed but I have other meetings to go to and I must cut this short.” He reaches for the Invictus Kingpin’s hand for a short handshake. “I’ll talk to you again for updates.”

Jaehyun smiles, straightening his suit. They’re halfway to the door when Fort calls his name.

“You usually have an update about Ethan Lee. You don’t have one right now?”

“Oh,” Jaehyun glances at Doyoung before looking back at the Garnet boss. “Actually, he’s out of the asylum. He came with us.”

The young Kingpin doesn’t miss the spark in Jung Yunho’s eyes, though it disappeared as quickly as it showed. “Good to hear. Keep Ethan very close, Jaehyun.”

He wants to ask why Fort is so hell-bent on knowing everything about Ten ever since the partnership began. It’s not that he has a problem with it, but Ten is right. Garnet has a strange attachment to the leftovers of Red Phoenix – or to Ten Chittaphon, at least.

Something boils in Jaehyun’s chest and it doesn’t feel good.

He bids goodbye to their business partner before hurrying to the car, eager to get back to Gambetta.

The possibility that Garnet has a deeper connection to Red Phoenix bugs him. He doesn’t know what it is but if he doesn’t feed his curiosity, it’s never going to stop bothering him, always lingering in the back of his mind.

Next time. He’ll make sure to ask next time.

***

They find the three lounging in the living room, watching a French movie. Only Ten Chittaphon seems to be enjoying it.

“You should’ve turned on the subtitles.” Jaehyun says, taking off his coat. Doyoung passes by, mumbling something about taking a nap. “It’d be comical if their noses were bleeding.”

Taeyong frowns even more, glaring at Ten. “He said he’ll just translate it to us. There are no available subtitles, Jaehyun. Just so you know.”

Johnny quickly sits himself next to Taeyong, draping an arm over the shorter man’s shoulders. “So, the meeting is over. It means we can go around!”

“Where’s Yuta?”

“He’s been asleep since you left.” Winwin gets up to finally take the mugs to the sink. “If you’re all going out, then enjoy it. I’m staying in for today. I’ve got games to finish.”

Ten reaches for the laptop and presses down the power button, earning himself a high-pitched whine from Taeyong. “So what happened in the meeting?”

“The sales are getting bigger than expected. I told Fort we should take advantage of that and cater to other countries that have been trying to reach us but we need to study it more. Besides, some countries are foreigners in his system, first time clients. A background check needs to be done.”

“So meticulous, so skeptic. I think I know why Lee Namgyu found a best friend in Fort’s father. They all share the same traits.” Ten’s eyes finally leave the laptop’s blank screen to look at Jaehyun’s upside down image from the position he’s in on the couch. “You were gone for three hours max. Is that all you talked about?”

“Well,” Jaehyun taps the older’s head so he can sit on the armrest. “Invictus is planning to build a headquarters here in France for a future business plan as well as so I can check on the existing operations myself as much as I can. But Fort suggested I think things through again. I guess it’s harder than I thought. I gotta listen to him, though. He’s like a mentor since he’s been in this game longer.”

“Anything else?”

“Did you even listen to me?”

“Anything else?” Ten repeats the question like a broken record. Since they arrived, Jaehyun is already giving off a vibe that he can’t pinpoint, but it’s off. It shows in his eyes and Ten Chittaphon sees everything.

But it seems like the younger is not about to let him in on the secret.

“Anything else is we go out since the meeting is over. You and me. I’d postpone this and do this with you tomorrow but 23 months of you being locked up drained me too much and I only realized it when you came back.” Jaehyun ignores the teasing hoots coming from the side. “So, do you want to go out with me?”

Ten’s brows furrow. “I don’t do dates, Jaehyun.”

“Then I guess we have to change that. Please, quickly wash up and get ready. Grab your coat; I’ll be waiting in the car. Let’s take advantage of the rain taking a rest.”

The blue-eyed watches Jaehyun go out again, the corner of his lips curving up into a slight smirk.

 

0o0o0

 

The road is moist, giving off that weird but soothing smell of rain. The windows are down as they drive through the highway, and Ten enjoys the feel of chilly air biting at his skin.

“Since you asked  _me_ out, I think I have the right to choose whatever we’re going to do today. Let me put you through something of my choice instead. How about that?”

“How about a no?”

“How about I cut the wirings of this car and let you drive yourself into a fucking tree, Jaehyun? This is not a matter of yes or no; you asked me out, I get equal control. Not just because we’re in a weird friends-are-going-on-dates stage does it mean you get to lead. Well you get to, but I also get to. I’m indulging you with my presence just like what you want. The least you could do is let me decide on the place.”

“Jesus,” The Kingpin groans, casting him a curt glance. “You went on a fucking litany when you could’ve just simply said you want to go somewhere specific. You spout too much, Ten. I suggest you put that mouth of yours to better use. But not today.”

A stare set to burning holes on his side doesn’t leave him for seconds until Ten breaks the silence again, blue eyes unblinking and his whole face blank as a white sheet of paper. “I’m going to pull my Korean seniority card and tell you I’m older than you so you get to listen to  _me,_ whether I spew out litanies or phrases. Now,” The older hums while tapping a finger on his chin. “I want greasy food. Take out. Since this is an exclusive date, I don’t want to share the same space with other people.”

“…Pizza and beer? Really? And where are we going? Ten I don’t want to go ba–“

Ten rudely interrupts. “Go to Père Lachaise.”

The car almost screeches to a halt, sending Ten lurching forward. “What the hell?”

Confusion is all he sees in Jaehyun’s face, and the almost tangible meter of his quickly dissipating patience. “That’s a cemetery and that’s on the other direction. We’ve been driving the opposite way.”

“I’m aware. Now go,” Ten waves a hand dismissively. “Grab some pizza and beer and a lollipop perhaps then let’s go visit the dead.” A sound of exhilaration trickles out the seams of his lips. “How romantic. We’ll give Romeo and Juliet a run for their money.”

God. Jaehyun wants to take a U-Turn and bring his date to the medical clinic they passed by instead of going through this weird date. He’s actually trying to finally let Ten know more about his…interest and it’s going downhill.

_I think I paid that asylum for nothing._

***

The drive back takes them an hour as the slippery road caused a minor accident involving two SUVs, slowing down the already heavy traffic.

The rain is still absent when they finally park at a vacant space. No one is around for obvious reasons and it slightly creeps out Jung Jaehyun. He’s a brave man, tried and tested, but ghosts are a different story. It doesn’t help that although it’s only noon, the sky is covered with gray clouds, denying the city of a wanted sunlight.

“Ten,” Jaehyun trudges, following the other’s lead. The scene painfully reminds him of the time the caramel-head dug Kim Jaeseok’s grave for his morbid plans. “There’s no one else and this is…disturbing.”

“Because it’s been raining and no one wants to visit their rotting relatives while the sky is bawling.” The older man stops before a tomb and sits on it, placing the box of pizza next to him. Jaehyun does the same with the bag of beer. “We found a dry spot to sit on, didn’t we? It’s comfortable enough. It’s silent and hauntingly private. A miracle within the kingdom of the dead.” His dark humor is tickled once again, causing him to chortle, shoulders shaking.

Deciding that he will never be able to fully understand Ten Chittaphon, Jaehyun just opens the box of pizza, Pissaladiére – Ten’s favorite recipe. It’s different from Italian pizzas with its more bready crust topped with caramelized onions and salty olives and anchovy fillets, compressing a French man’s taste.

They spend the next half an hour eating, with only the sounds of howling wind and Ten’s noisy chewing serving as their background music.

“I talked to Doctor Kim about a lot of things.” The knife thrower speaks through the mushed pizza in his mouth. “It’s inevitable.”

“What did you talk about?” An onion falls out of Jaehyun’s pizza, landing on the tomb. He sulkily flicks it away. “Only tell me things you want to share since I know therapies are confidential.”

“About my family and my weirdass feelings. Apparently, these murderous violent tendencies rooted from neglect, lack of affection and childhood hostility. That goes without saying,“ Ten bites a bigger chunk. “That Namgyu and Léonie had a lot of part to play in it, but contrary to popular belief, it’s not completely their fault because I had a hand in molding myself this way, because I let it happen even though I’m fully aware of the atrocious shit I did.”

Jaehyun just listens, letting the man get the chance to be more vocal. “We talked a lot. It was hard to accept, alright. Plus the unhealthy obsession with you? I agree it’s not just an obsession anymore. At first it was but now, I don’t know. He said something along the lines of you being a projection of what I wanted to be which is farfetched. I don’t really know.”

“You don’t know or you don’t wanna deal with it?”

“Listen,” Ten stuffs his mouth, chewing several times before washing the food down with the cold beer that warms him up inside the thick coat he has on. “I lived my whole life not knowing shit about it, Jaehyun and you walked into Red Phoenix just like that then decided to fuck with me. I didn’t ask this, I didn’t want this but it’s here. I think I’m doing a pretty good job dealing with it.”

Another can of beer is popped open, and soon the liquid’s bitter, addicting taste spills over Jaehyun’s taste buds before finding home in his stomach. “By dealing with it you mean you’re not denying it but you’re not admitting it either.”

“If that’s how you wanna put it. Give me some time, alright. Isn’t it cool that we’re friends now, though? Like mutually? I felt like the biggest dumbfuck in the universe getting in an unrequited friendship.”

Jaehyun is certainly enjoying this new side of Ten Chittaphon. “I think we’re past that. Didn’t even go through it much. Did you make friends in the asylum?”

Ten snorts, taking another gulp of beer. “I sure did. It was unexpected. Don’t think it happened easily, though. But at least I managed to make two friends.” The mischievous grin is suddenly replaced with one that is melancholic and borderline nostalgic. For how unreadable Ten Chittaphon is most of the times, it’s amazing how he’s so expressive at the moment that his face says it all even without words. “It feels nice to have friends. They don’t live the way we do but it’s nice.”

“…You’re more open than before. I like it.”

“You wanna hear a dirty joke?”

What a way to ruin an atmosphere, Jaehyun muses. “Is it worth it?”

“I don’t know,” Ten shrugs, shaking his can as he tries to peek and check how much is left inside. “But it suddenly popped in my head. It’s lame so I’ll probably keep it to myself. Seriously though, I changed, didn’t I? I wouldn’t talk to anyone in Red Phoenix and anyone who dared to get into my personal space met their end in a snap. Now I even managed to hold a decent conversation with your squad.”

He doesn’t know why but Jaehyun’s heart swells. Ten suffered a lot. Ten worked hard. And he’s showing the fruit of it.  “I’m proud of you.”

Ten huffs, his melancholic state quickly disappearing. “You should be. Anyway, are you done with that? ‘Cause I wanna take you to this famous tomb.”

Silly dread forms in Jaehyun’s chest. He’s already feeling his skin crawl from whatever Ten has in store for him. “Uh, fine.”

So they leave their spot, box of pizza and beer in hand. Ten unwraps his strawberry lollipop, the candy pushing against the pocket of his cheek as he sucks on it.

A few turns later, they stop by a massive tomb.

“Wanna explain?” Jaehyun puts the pizza and beer down.

“You know how Paris is inclined with romantic shit? There’s a tradition here.” A very distracting tongue swirls around the lollipop and the kingpin has to mentally chastise himself to focus on whatever the blue-eyed man is saying.

Gesticulating, Ten explains further. “People used to kiss Oscar Wilde’s tomb because of that novel he wrote called  _A Woman of No Importance._ There’s a quote there saying ‘a kiss may ruin a human life’ and people just did their shit, leaving lipsticks on his tomb. I don’t know what they’re exactly aiming for when they kiss a tomb housing maggots and stinky ass bones.” The loud crack of a candy breaking resonates in the empty place when the caramel-head bites down his lollipop. “But there’s a specific wall built for tourists now. They can leave their saliva-coated kisses there.”

His head turns to Jaehyun’s direction robotically that it sends a chill down Jaehyun’s spine. Ten Chittaphon is probably doing it on purpose, trying to scare the living daylights out of him. “But you know what I think, Jaehyun?”

“Just tell me so we can leave this God forsaken place.”

It makes Ten smile, that empty, haunting smile when he senses the growing fear radiating off of the younger. “I think a kiss makes or breaks a person’s life.”

The unexpected kiss comes to steal his capability to think. Ten licks along the seams of his lips and when Jaehyun opens up, sweet tidbits of candies enter the crevice of his mouth, melting in his tongue. Ten pulls away too soon, igniting disappointment.

“What do you think your kisses do to me?”

Dazed, it takes Jaehyun two seconds to guess. “Break you?”

Ten startles him with an imitation of a buzzing sound. “Wrong. You do both.” His finger presses on Jaehyun’s lower lip, rubbing gently before the same hand reaches behind the younger’s head to hold him by the nape. Ten’s voice drops an octave lower. “I’m going to keep you with me, Jaehyun. For as long as I want. Even if I have to break every single bone in your body, then I’d do it.”

It’s so twisted, so sickening, so revolting. But Jaehyun has long welcomed the possibility that he’s just as twisted as Ten for swallowing the poison that comes out of the latter’s mouth.

So he gives in, leans in for another kiss with his hands on the other’s waist, as it turns out that the cemetery date is just as marvelous as a date in an elite five-star restaurant.

He should’ve known this is exactly Ten Chittaphon’s style.

***

“Remind me not to let you have your way again.” Ten grumbles, twisting another lollipop in his mouth as they exit the cinema. People pour out of it, some of them brushing past him. There’s a dull, buzzing sensation in his veins that he manages to hold down, knowing that lashing out now after all he’s been through will not be worth it. Besides, he can’t afford to make a  _mess_ in such a vast place – it will be harder to escape and not leave a trace.

The deep, rich laugh coming from his left doesn’t mollify the mood. Jaehyun adjusts his own scarf before beckoning the older to walk closer. “We agreed on equal control, remember? And it wasn’t that bad, come on.”

“What do you mean,” The sudden grunt scares the woman walking ahead of him as she gives him a weird gaze before fleeing away. Ten can’t blame her; he looks as though he’s about to bust someone’s knee. “It was too dramatic. When your enemy’s dying, you don’t fucking let them grab a gun and one-up you. You shoot until you run out of ammo. Fucking media and their constant need to be emotional.”

“I agree, but a movie is a movie, it has to make the audience  _feel.”_ Jaehyun checks his watch and sighs. “Do you want to stay out later? It’s almost dinner time anyway. I can still take you on that candle-lit dinner you hate.” With a teasing lilt in his tone, Jaehyun tugs the older close and heads straight to the parking lot. He’s just about to unlock the vehicle when his phone rings, and he tenses up for the beep is different, a sound he set up in case of an emergency call.

He doesn’t check the caller’s ID as he picks up, fully knowing it’s from an Invictus member. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Sicheng,” Doyoung answers, panic thick in his voice. As far as he knows, the last time the other was this distressed was after successfully running away from Dragonaire, scared of the possibility that the men were after them. “He’s been out for an hour. He said he was going to this café, but it’s been taking too long and we tried to call him but it just won’t connect. Please come back, I’ve already called Johnny and Taeyong. They were out for the day, too.”

It’s not like Sicheng to ignore their calls. There must be a valid reason why Kim Doyoung is in such a state, unable to solve a simple puzzle that he had to reach out to Jaehyun.

The call ends as soon as the Kingpin confirms they’re coming back. Ten doesn’t question the sudden change of plans, actually glad that he doesn’t need to go through another stupid date idea by the younger. During the ride, it’s exceptionally quiet with the stereo off and their only companion as the droning of the car, and the supposed solace in silence is replaced by anxiety as the smell of doom becomes so thick and heavy, hard to miss.

Jaehyun sprints inside the house as soon as they arrive. “What happened? Have you tried calling him again?”

“Yes, we didn’t stop calling him but it stopped ringing eventually. I should track where it is. I can use the detected signal I picked up earlier.” Doyoung updates in a single breath as his fingers quickly fly over the keyboard of his laptop to locate where the phone must be.

Everyone in Invictus uses a chipped phone. It’s one of the first things that Jaehyun had the employees done to improve the quality of their security. He knew it will be useful someday if ever an enemy attacks but never did he once expect that one of the squad members will be targeted.

If his hunch is correct – someone had taken Sicheng.

While everyone’s on edge, Jaehyun tries to think of whoever might be behind this. They’re still unsure of what happened, Sicheng might just be around, not in the mood to pick up their calls while he strolls, but every single possibility shall be considered in their line of work especially when an organization is a first-rate, a magnet of enemies and troubles.

He ends up with none. Invictus hasn’t clashed with any other Korean mafia.

“I got it!” Doyoung exclaims. Yuta is the first one to rush next to the other, his face almost shoved close to the screen. “It’s thirty minutes away from here. But the signal I detected was from the unanswered calls prior to disconnection. We can still use this, everything is useful right now.”

“Are we panicking for a reason, guys? Because like you said, Sicheng wanted to head to a café. What if he’s just lounging there?” Taeyong tries to lighten the atmosphere, not wanting to think of the worst case scenario.

But Yuta is having none of it, slamming a hand down the back of Doyoung’s chair, ears ringing in anger. “Are you kidding me, Taeyong? We can’t reach him. I’d take it if it was a signal problem but none of us is experiencing the same, yeah? I told him to come back quick. Sicheng won’t stay out there without a single text to any of us.”

Jaehyun grabs the Japanese’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Yuta hisses, pushing the kingpin’s hand away. “I’m going out to look for him if you’re not worried. If I need to flip every single building in Paris then I’ll do it alone.”

“Wait.” Doyoung says, gesturing for Jaehyun to come. “I can’t access the system. It’s another glitch.” He presses the power button over and over but the device won’t turn off – the screen is white, empty with a buffering sign in the middle. “We’ve worked on this already, why is it still happening?”

Yuta shakes his head as he watches the scene before him. “I’m going now. I don’t have time for that shit.” He makes way for the door, eager to find the arsonist.

Yet before he gets the chance to take a step out of the house, an arm blocks his way and he follows its length, eyes landing on a pair of blue ones. “Ten, I don’t have time for your bullshit, okay. Not tonight. Step aside.”

“You told me about the glitch when I was still in the asylum, Jaehyun.” Ignoring Yuta, the caramel-head talks to the Kingpin. “It’s the same glitch that’s been bugging Invictus, right? Tell me, why can’t you get rid of it?” He keeps his arm against Yuta’s chest, and when the other tries to push it away, Ten shoves him hard on the chest, sending Yuta staggering a few steps back. “Don’t fuck with me, Nakamoto. This is not a fucking coincidence.”

Yuta glowers at him, rubbing his chest. “And what, your highness, can you conclude from the random system glitch that probably has a connection to Sicheng’s disappearance? It’s farfetched.”

Ten bites down the lollipop, munching the candy noisily. He carelessly tosses the stick to the side and it hits Johnny’s arm which makes the tall man curse under his breath. “Do you not really have any enemy, Jaehyun? Invictus is as strong as Red Phoenix was. You’re dumb to think and be complacent that no one with the likes of Dragonaire will be coming for you. You know,” His eyes hold such an amount of mischief as he scans over the members of the squad. “It’s not surprising to house another kind of Moon Taeil.”

“Are you insinuating what I think you are insinuating?” Johnny huffs. “It’s impossible. It’s just an ordinary glitch.”

“If it was as ordinary as you think it is, then why can’t Kim Doyoung get rid of it? You already have a Gold card in your department but still, something manages to get through your firewall? You got an enemy. When did it start happening?”

Jaehyun rakes a hand through his hair in frustration. “Shortly after I managed to close the deal with Garnet.”

“Then it isn’t an old enemy. It’s trying to get to you because you have something in your hands that for some reason, Garnet is connected to. They can’t be trying to pull another Dragonaire, can they? How desperate.”

“Then what,” Yuta spits, patience running out. “What’s going on? If this enemy you’re talking about is the same that probably has Sicheng, since we’re now considering he’s taken away, then that means they’re here as well. Would a Korean mafia really follow us around to this extent?”

Ten blows a raspberry before parting his hair to the side with a casual hum, looking nonchalant. It infuriates the Japanese. “Why are you only considering a Korean mafia? Since the bug had been there after the deal with Garnet was made, wouldn’t it be plausible that the enemy is a foreign org? Don’t limit your competitions into one.”

_Foreign organization._

The gears in Jaehyun’s head start running. The only foreign organizations they are connected to are the clients they cater in Europe and Asia. Is it possible that one of them is really going to betray him? But why? Are they not afraid of the power from an organization connected to a high ranking mafia? What is their pur–

No. It can’t be.

_Is it really…_

The screen changes into black before a series of sentences flash. Doyoung attempts to press keys again, but the box containing a cryptic message remains. “Everyone, look at this. They’re communicating with us.”

They all huddle together to read what’s on the screen.

‘ _Finally, we got to you. It wasn’t easy infiltrating the system. It’s hard to come up with a clone to gather information, Jung Jaehyun. Don’t ask how we did it. What’s important is you’re back and hopefully with the item that you stole.’_

Jaehyun’s brows furrow. “Invictus did not steal anything. And…we? So they’re more than one?” The kingpin taps Johnny’s shoulder. “Call the Korean HQ. Tell them the system’s been breached and to heighten the security. Halt all shipments and every package that has arrived, recheck them. Have Oh Sehun and his team do it.” He turns to Doyoung again, jaw clenching. “Will you be able to connect that to our phones?”

“Yes, but that’s only possible if we turn off the system back in Korea so that whoever’s coming for us will only be able to connect to our phones and the laptops in here.”

“Do it,” Jaehyun breathes out. His blood is boiling but he can’t do anything yet. They don’t have a lead. And if the enemies behind this are actually the ones he’s got a hunch on, then it’ll be even harder – they would have to locate an organization that’s been terminated. “These fuckers are just as capable as your team if they’re able to clone our system so they won’t be traced.”

Another message pops up. This time, it finally confirms the Kingpin’s hunch, and what Ten Chittaphon has known ever since it was first brought up.

_‘You ran away with it then you ruined us. It’s time for you to pay the price. If you don’t want your friend to get hurt, then don’t contact anyone for help. Don’t do anything rash and wait for another message. ‘Til then, your friend is safe and sound, unless you make a mistake. – V; C’_

“So they want me.” Ten states flatly.

Jaehyun turns to him, confused. “What?”

“They want the item back. It’s Cygnus and Venandi. I know you’re all smart enough to put two and two together. Remember? Venandi held an auction and Cygnus bought me. I don’t think they need me for the same purpose they had before. They want to seek revenge because one, I killed the Kingpin of Cygnus and two, Garnet terminated both organizations. And as far as I can remember one of you in the squad killed Venandi’s boss, so they really wanna fuck with Invictus.” Ten says in a tone that tells them they should’ve known all along.

He’s right, isn’t he? How can Invictus be  _this_ complacent and arrogant to think former foreign second-rates will not come for them when their Kingpins were murdered in cold blood?

Doyoung scoffs, shaking his head. “How did they know Invictus has you?”

The question makes the caramel-head snort. “Since no one wants to use their brains, I’ll tell you my guesses. I’ll bet someone saw Jung Jaehyun take poor drugged me from the theater in the middle of chaos. More likely, they learned that Garnet partnered up with Invictus. Of course Jaehyun’s identity will be exposed. Did Fort hold another pompous gala?”

“He did.”

“Fucking ridiculous. Anyway, these people literally already know I’m the Red Phoenix heir. It’s not Quantum Physics to dig into Invictus’ background? It literally was connected to Red Phoenix.”

Yuta chimes in, extremely peeved and impatient. “So we can’t make a move? Will it be guaranteed that they won’t hurt Sicheng? Why don’t we just give Ten to them since they obviously did this because they want his head?”

Before anyone interrupts, Ten brings up a hand, silencing them. “Which head are we talking about here? I got two.”

Doyoung shoots up from his seat when the Japanese charges at the blue-eyed, putting himself in between with each hand on either man’s chest, preventing a brawl. “Calm down, okay?! This is not the time to fuckin’ kill each other, I swear to God you both are getting on my nerves. Especially you,” He glares at Yuta. “No one wants anyone to be taken away. It’s our fault we dismissed the possibility they’d come for us after two fucking years.”

When Yuta calms down and turns away, Doyoung brushes past Jaehyun to continue typing, taking advantage of the momentary absence of the bug. “For now, we can’t take their word and do nothing at all. I know they told us to wait but let’s at least head to the location I detected from Winwin’s phone and see if we get a lead there. I already turned off the system in the HQ, so their messages will be sent in our phones or laptop instead.”

“Right.” Jaehyun sighs, his expression hard as he glances at Yuta. “All of you, get in the van. These assholes won’t let us get a damn vacation now.”

 

0o0o0

 

The whole van is quiet except for Doyoung’s occasional mumbles to direct Johnny where to go. They’ve been driving for 20 minutes, passing by establishments and hunting suspicious-looking vehicles. They can’t afford to miss out. Sicheng is in the hands of their enemies and they all know these people will be merciless. The simultaneous demise of the two organizations will not hinder them from doing everything to get back at Invictus – especially when the latter holds the core reason of their unfortunate end.

Thick tension fills the vehicle. Ten circles his fingers around his left wrist, wringing until the dull tingling sensation disappears. He’d been taking the prescribed medications in the asylum regularly. He hasn’t taken at least one yet since the escape.

_I should’ve taken a few bottles with me._

Doyoung shifts on his seat. “We’re five minutes away from the location. Just 200 meters ahead. They probably threw the phone somewhere there. Make a turn to the right, Johnny.” He glances back at his phone, waiting, until a beep resounds. “Stop! We’re here. Watch out for anything or anyone suspicious.”

Jaehyun pulls the door open but Ten blocks him with a leg, digging the sole of his boot against the kingpin’s stomach.

“Uh-uh,” Wagging a finger, Ten pushes Jaehyun back to his seat. “None of you is getting off this van. If their men are actually around, then they’re only getting me. You’re not gonna risk yourself and all your remaining advisors. Right, Jaehyun? Be a responsible leader for once. Always so fucking impulsive.”

The younger pushes the foot off of him. “What if the–“

“Shut the fuck up, all of you, because your voices are starting to fucking grate in my ears and I haven’t fucking taken my usual meds yet and no, I don’t have them so shut. the fuck. up, because I’m afraid I’d fucking lose control again.” Ten takes a deep breath, glaring at them. “They don’t have Winwin here, of fucking course. I can handle myself. Now settle down and let me do this, alright? I’ll return right away if I see something.”

Without waiting for anyone to respond, the knife thrower hops out of the van, slamming the door close in annoyance.

It’s drizzling ever so lightly, wetting the already cool, soaked ground. His boots thud over the concrete as he walks, hands kept in his coat’s pocket to hide from the chilly weather as well as to hide the telltale trembles and tics. Ten knows he hasn’t gotten better yet, only maintaining composure through the conditioned treatment. As he skims the surroundings with his eyes, quickly roaming each nook and corner that he passes by, he thinks of a pair of coal black eyes to hopefully stop the tremors.

It doesn’t work. Dread settles in his stomach.

A crack sounds from beneath his foot. When Ten looks down, he sees a phone, damaged beyond repair. He picks it up, inspecting.

“Sicheng…”

Just as he’s about to turn around, a rusty gate of an apartment several stops away opens and someone walks out, wearing a black turtleneck sweater and jeans.

Ten’s eyes widen. He can’t be mistaken. He never forgets the faces of people he meets even if they only appeared once in his life.

The man’s back hits the terracotta walls and they painfully dig on his back. Ten has an arm presses against the man’s throat to prevent an escape.

“Mm, Jesus H. Christ,” His voice is low and vicious as he stares right into the eyes of the petrified man in his mercy. “Who do we have here? Huh?” Blue eyes glint beneath the moonlight’s illumination. “L? Nice to fucking meet you again. I hope you didn’t forget me.”

He feels L’s violent shudders against his body. It makes his stomach churn in delight. “Ethan Lee?”

“Damn, right. It’s fucking Ethan Lee.” Ten presses harder against L’s throat, blocking the man’s airway. He watches as the pale skin slowly turns red from both the freezing cold and lack of oxygen. “Where is Sicheng?”

Hands desperately try to pry his arm away but to no avail. “W-wait, I don’t know who that is –“

“Oh yeah? Don’t fuck with me.” He pulls away only to drag the man by the collar, ignoring protests. “Try to run away and I’ll gut you and make you chew out your own tongue.” When they reach the van, Ten slams L inside before getting in and slamming the door close. “We got a Venandi here.”

A gun cocks and Yuta charges forward, holding L at gunpoint. “Where’s Sicheng?! Where did you take him?!”

“I don’t know!” L pants, hands bracing his own weight on the van’s floor with both hands. “Who the hell is Sicheng? Who are you?!”

The cold muzzle of the gun digs harder against L’s temple.

“I’m gonna put ten fucking bullets through your skull if you don’t–“

Before the Japanese can finish his sentence, the gun is pushed away from the terrified man for Jaehyun to take charge of the situation. “You don’t know? But you work for Venandi.”

L’s head shakes in denial, eyes shifting among the men in the van. “No, not anymore. I cut all contacts with them when Garnet terminated Venandi. I’ve been living normally since then. I don’t know what the Venandis are up to now, believe me.” He gulps visibly, looking pitiful as he trembles even more under everyone’s scrutiny. “Who are you even?”

“Invictus.” Ten answers. “Ever heard of it? The bastards, together with Cygnus took one of us. Now,” He grabs a handful of the man’s hair, yanking harshly and bending latter’s neck in a dangerous angle, earning a pained yelp. “I want you to tell me where we can find Sicheng.”

“I don’t really know! I was new in Venandi when you bought the weapons with that girl. Seriously, I haven’t known a lot in that org to tell you all of their hideouts. I honestly just manned the register for the sake of the fucking work, okay? I don’t give a damn about their business…”

After the former Venandi member explains, Ten instantly rips the gun out of Yuta’s hand to point it between L’s eyes. “So you’re useless and we can’t risk letting you go, can we?”

“Ten,” Jaehyun’s authoritative voice rings inside the van. “Put it down. We’re not killing anyone here, we’re outside.”

“What are we gonna do with that guy now?” Johnny asks, impatiently tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “He doesn’t know anything.”

The kingpin shifts in his seat, buttoning his coat as Ten pulls L up and pushes him to sit in between.

“Go back to Gambetta. He still worked for Venandi so he might turn out to be useful in the end.”

***

Ten pulls the restraints tighter, tying the ropes around L and the chair he sits on. It pulls a grunt of pain from the man who voices out his protest as much as he can with the gag in his mouth.

Sans Sicheng, all of them are in the living room, waiting for another message.

Jaehyun’s sigh worsens the jitters in their bodies, and the deafening silence only proves to be taking seconds from the ticking time bombs as they sit restlessly, helpless and clueless, reduced to marionettes waiting for their owner’s instructions.

Another minute passes by without something from either Cygnus or Venandi and the Invictus kingpin finally gives up, breaking the silence. “I need to head back to Garnet. They need to know this. Fort was the one who deliberately made it known that those two orgs will be crawling on the ground.”

“But if the enemies know we’re asking for help, Sicheng is done for.” Taeyong huffs, glaring at the man tied on the chair. “Why are you so useless?”

“I know,” Yuta sides with the Thai nurse, gripping the gun attached to his hip. They can’t blame him for losing his cool. Out of all of them, Yuta is the closest to Sicheng, even without that one time intimacy. They were like peas in a pod. “But Garnet is powerful. If they could wipe them out in a snap before, they could do it again. Clearly the job was unpolished. Let them do the finishing touch.”

“I’ll see what I can do. This is still a personal dispute.” Jaehyun glances at Ten who’s busy staring at L, unblinking. “But maybe we can convince him since Fort has been so greatly, strangely interested with this one right here and it’s about time he puts it to another use.”

Ten finally tears his gaze away from the perturbed man. “He sees Lee Namgyu when he thinks of me, I suppose. I know there’s nothing more to it. Is that why you looked so peeved this morning?”

“Shut it,” Jaehyun straightens and drags Ten up by the arm. “Yuta, I want you and Johnny to guard the house. Doyoung, please watch that man for us. We’re not going to be out long. If another message comes up, call me right away.”

“Understood.”

***

The van drives past the iron gates of the high ranking organization without qualms. Remembering the first and last time he was here, a hair’s breadth away from gouging one of the security’s eyes for not letting him in, Ten Chittaphon is greatly impressed. It’s astounding how much power can do.

Someone leads them to Fort’s office. Three knocks on the huge double doors, a sign that an unannounced yet urgent arrival is in dire need of the kingpin’s attention.

Soon they find themselves before Yunho who’s looking at them with an arched brow, curiosity and awe dancing in his pupils at the sight of Ten Chittaphon before him. “I would’ve had your heads on a platter if you were somebody else. But why are you both standing before me at this time of the night? We don’t have an urgent meeting, Jung Jaehyun.”

“I understand and I apologize for that. But I believe that this needs to be discussed as soon as possible.”

“ _As soon as possible_ ,” Ten mimics Jaehyun, mocking. “Then fucking get straight to the point.” His eyes roll hard before they land on the leader of Garnet. “Cygnus and Venandi are out to get me. They’d been trying to breach Invictus, only succeeding now by taking one of us, Dong Sicheng. He was kidnapped. From the looks of it, they had been waiting for this chance because they couldn’t get out of France. The hideout in Gambetta is not safe. Here’s the thing,” Ten slips a hand in his pocket, the other pressed on Fort’s desk. “Invictus got no men here. It’s up to you if you want to do something about it since you’re the one who meddled in somebody else’s affair. Now we got two fucking rats on our tails.”

“Is the man taken Ten Chittaphon?”

The caramel-head leans away, perplexed. “Fuck you I’m here?”

“Exactly.” Yunho says, tapping his pen rhythmically against the desk. “I hate to break it to you, but Garnet shall have no direct part in this. If you want, I will just send my men to find them and you will be the one to get on it. The last time, we did it because Ten Chittaphon was the one specifically harmed. And my actions aroused doubt in a few of my clients because they thought it was a careless move. You know I take care of my businesses well.”

Jaehyun rubs a hand down his face. Of course. Each and every one in their world is just as wicked and selfish, only doing things that will be beneficial – even him. He understands. They can just wait for another message to know what they can do to get Sicheng. Besides, coming here was already reckless of them. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that Fort doesn’t want to be involved. Right. He’ll just think about that.

But then his mind replays to the other kingpin’s words and once again, he feels an irrational jealousy. “You’re willing to put your name on the line if it was Ten Chittaphon there with Cygnus and Venandi. You did it once. You did it without an explanation. It’s fine that you’re not willing to be reckless again, although Cygnus and Venandi are smaller and weaker now compared to what they were. So  _why?_  Yunho, you are willing to create more enemies for the sake of this man right next to me but not for anyone else. I think I need to know it now. We’ve been working together for a while.”

The electric current between Jaehyun and Fort is almost palpable as they hold an eye contact for several seconds. Fort’s mind runs in a maze for a short moment and when he finds no way out, a smile curves on his lips, one that is laced with thrill. Thrill regarding what, none of the two Invictus men knows.

“Huh, I guess it’s time. We’ve been keeping this for a while and secrets eventually get boring when they are not discovered. I was told this will only be disclosed when the time comes. It’s tonight, isn’t it?” Yunho says cryptically, now twirling the pen with his fingers.

Ten doesn’t have time to decode it. None of them does. “What have you been smoking? Or is it because there’s too much money to compute in your head that it’s going almost as crazy as mine?”

If it was another person, someone whose status falls beneath his, Fort would’ve minded the language. But it’s Ten Chittaphon, and his name alone is an excuse. “I’ve been smoking none in particular, Ten. But do you remember when you came here before, dropping that bomb on me about Red Phoenix’s demise? And how I told you I knew about you because Garnet liked to know their partners personally?”

The blue-eyed doesn’t know where the conversation is heading – for all he knows it could be going south because he feels it, the dull, imminent dread of  _not knowing_ a thing. It discomforts him because he’s always supposed to know what’s going on.  _How obnoxious._

He must’ve said it out loud because Fort chuckles, now standing up from his seat to walk a little bit around, stopping behind the two Invictus men. They have no choice but to follow the older man’s movements for it feels like in every second that passes, Yunho blows on a fire that’s yet to ignite, only waiting for the right moment to light up. And it’s going to burn them.

“I lied about one part.” Yunho stares at the long-haired Red Phoenix heir before him. “Garnet doesn’t care about  _anything_  past business. Red Phoenix was the  _only_  group that mattered more to us because my father and  _your_ father were friends even before the partnership was made. They go way back. You can say that they were like brothers from different mothers. Dramatic, isn’t it?” He pauses to look down as though trying to intensify the atmosphere. “Actually, we were a little disappointed because your father wasn’t able to ask help from us during their most troubled time and we only got to know it because of you. I should’ve pressed Moon Taeil for more information, hm? My mistake and I apologize.” Their eyes meet again and this time, the Garnet kingpin’s pair is livelier than before. “Now, crime families with their most trusted people are the closest ties in this world. Lee Namgyu had a deal with my father and it will be kept for as long as Garnet exists. Do you want to know what it is?”

“If I say no?” Ten hisses. “Because I’ve already told you before that I don’t give a fuck about Red Phoenix.”

Jaehyun watches the exchange in silence, gripping the phone in his pocket. It seems like they’ve forgotten his presence as both powerful men in their own different ways are immersed in the conversation.

“An heir is an heir to the throne, Ten Chittaphon. No matter how detached Lee Namgyu was to you due to a reason we all know – that Garnet doesn’t care about, you’re still an heir. He did his duty to protect you by asking Garnet to look out for you if ever something happened to him or to Red Phoenix.”

Stunned is an understatement to describe what Jung Jaehyun sees in Ten’s expressions. How can the other not be, when all his life, from what they know, Lee Namgyu was never a good father? But maybe they should’ve reconsidered it when the dead boss, without thinking twice decided Ten Chittaphon couldn’t be harmed by Dragonaire.

Fort holds his head high, posture screaming full control. “Lee Namgyu put you under our care, Ten. You have always been a Red Phoenix  _and_ a Garnet member. Your value has the potential to exceed mine. So anything that concerns  _you_  specifically will be mine as well. Except this time – we don’t get involved in personal disputes unless it concerns one of our members. I see that you’re here standing before me, completely fine. But I’m sending my men if you still want help to locate your advisor as soon as possible.”

A scoff is what comes out of the knife thrower’s mouth after what seems like an eternity of recovering from such revelation. “I’m a Garnet member?  _Really?_ Wait.” His voice is laced with disbelief. “Should I rejoice? Do you want me to rejoice? I guess I should thank you since it’s been 28 years and I still discover shit about my identity. You should’ve just said you won’t get involved because Sicheng is not a Garnet member and it’s Invictus’ problem.” Ten finally casts a glance at Jaehyun but it’s taken back to Yunho in a second. “But Fort, listen to me. I will be of no use to you. You have Garnet. You have the most capable men. You don’t need me. So thank you for sharing some trivia but I don’t think it’s gonna be of help right now.”

“You’re going to face Cygnus and Venandi, aren’t you? You will face them alone just like what you did with Dragonaire.”

Somehow, he appreciates the lack of question and doubt coming from Fort. The man is aware of what he can do. Ten Chittaphon internally curses the man for putting so much trust in him when he mentioned it previously that he’s the last one that Garnet should trust. What even does Jung Yunho see in him? “I will and  _please_ , keep your men. I think we can do this alone. We just came by to let you know you didn’t go a good job eradicating those two orgs who did me dirty.” Ten looks at Jaehyun and jerks his head to the door. “Come on, dimple boy. We got work to do.”

They’re on the way to leave when Fort calls the Invictus’ kingpin. “Jaehyun. You will notify me if something happens to Ethan in this. He’s important to us.”

Jaehyun gulps, jaw clenching. “Of course.”

“Jung Yunho, I don’t think I will need your help. I got away from Dragonaire with all of my limbs intact; I got away from Cygnus and Venandi too. I’m pretty sure I’ll escape death again this time. Thank you for telling me the truth, though – my father wasn’t fucking doing his job.”

They walk out of the headquarters without so much as a farewell to the Kingpin. Ten slams the door close before buckling up, fingers digging on his thighs as he fights down the urge to break something, anything within his reach.

Jaehyun revs the engine and maneuvers to the road, mind going places. One part of him is thinking of the situation back at the Gambetta hideout while the other lingers on the conversation with Fort.

He takes a surreptitious glance at the other. “Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Yet Ten’s actions contradict his words as he grips his thighs harder, bruising his own skin, erecting worry from the man next to him.

“I’m thunderstruck too. That’s the reason why they gave the projects back because he knew you were with us. That’s why he terminated Cygnus and Venandi operations when he heard they auctioned you. You’re a fucking gem to them.”

The repetition of his significance irks him to no end. “Does it matter? I’m with Invictus now and I don’t think it’s what we should be talking about. Are  _you_  okay? Because they won’t bother themselves with people that aren’t me.”

A sigh escapes the younger’s lips. “I mean…it’s disheartening. But Fort and I are business partners. Namgyu and his father were more than that. Seeing that you’re unscathed and he thinks you can do it, he doesn’t find the need to worry his head about this. And we weren’t supposed to ask him for help anyway. I just hope those two orgs don’t know what we did.”

“Don’t tell the others about me being a Garnet member. Just tell them Fort won’t be generous enough to do things twice for us.”

“That’s acceptable. At least we tried.”

***

When they get back to the hideout, L is already passed out on the chair and the rest of the squad is waiting standby near the laptop. Yuta springs out of his seat when the two enter the house. “What did they say?”

“Negative,” Jaehyun plops on the couch, face already marred with exhaustion and despondence. “They won’t deal with Cygnus and Venandi again. But they got a point, this is _our_ issue now. And we should be capable of dealing with it by ourselves.”

“Fuck,” The Japanese gunman sighs in frustration. “There are no new messages from them yet. I don’t wanna think of what they’re possibly doing to Winwin as we speak.”

“Since we’re at a stalemate right now, all that we can do is hope Winwin is fine. Their target is Ten. They’re only using him as bait. I think those people are only prolonging this for the sake of it. They’re hosting their own game.” Taeyong says, fidgeting. “We just need to win it in the end.”

“Do we need to wait for the end? Can’t we ju–“

“Guys!” Doyoung chimes in, turning the laptop around for everyone to see. “They sent another message.”

_‘Is it time to formally commence the game? You must be just as impatient as we are. Remember, don’t drag anyone else in this. Or face the consequences._

_We are calling shortly. – V; C’_

Out of the blue, someone’s phone rings. Everyone looks at Jaehyun as the kingpin answers the call. “Hello…”

 _‘This is Jung Jaehyun, correct?’_ Heavily accented English comes from whoever is on the other line.

“You already know it’s me. What do you want? Where did you take him?”

_‘Getting straight to the point, I see. Now, do you think we’re about to tell you? This will end right away. It’s thrilling when you know danger awaits you but you don’t know when it’s coming, right?’_

Johnny gestures for him to keep the anger down. Right. They have no choice in this but to give what the enemies want.

“Why didn’t you just come, you know where we are, right?”

_‘Now, where is the fun in that?’_

Doyoung is working on the remaining computer set up by Red Phoenix at the corner of the living room as Jaehyun talks on the phone. He turns around to mouth ‘ _can’t be located, cloned phone number._ ’

“Are you around? Are you watching us right now?” Jaehyun signals Ten to wake L. Ten follows before whispering against the restrained man’s ear as the boss of Invictus sets the call into loud speaker.

_‘No. I’m telling you the truth. We are busy taking care of someone. Why, did you do something we didn’t allow?’_

“…No. Don’t hurt Sicheng.”

_‘You hesitated. But we’ll take your word. As long as you keep others out of this. We are sending another message. Prepare.’_

The call cuts off. Jaehyun slips the phone back in his pocket and takes Doyoung’s previous spot in front of the laptop.

Ten grips L’s jaw. “Who called? I’m sure you recognized that voice.”

“Zero. It’s Venandi’s second-in-command.” L provides, eyes diverted from the burning pair staring right through him. For some reason, each time he looks into those intense, blue eyes, he feels like he is being compelled – there’s an invisible force trying to lure him, but he doesn’t want to delve deeper into it.  _I’ve felt it before but maybe everyone feels the same? Nothing serious._

“Uh,” Jaehyun points at the screen of the laptop with a frown. “Does anyone know how to read this? I don’t even know the language. It just came in.”

“What is it,” Ten comes over, skimming past the words. “That’s fucking Italian. This should come from Venandi.” A thought emerges in his head before grabbing the laptop and planting it on L’s lap. “You know how to speak Italian?”

L nods.

“Very convenient. So you’re not entirely useless. Translate it.”

_‘Pistole, coltelli, bombe. Una stanza piena di pericoli é una stanza colma di mistero._ _La troverte? O resterá un mito?’_

He reads it twice, processing the most accurate translation. “Guns, knives, explosives. A room full of danger is a room full of mystery. Will you find it? Or will it remain a myth?” L peers up at them. “It’s like a riddle. I think they’re giving clues where they are.”

Johnny grimaces, throwing up his hands. “What the hell does that even mean?”

“Think of a place that involves guns, knives and explosives.” Jaehyun comments, looking at L. “You worked for Venandi. You might know a thing or two even if you weren’t there for long.”

Pressure builds in his system. L doesn’t trust himself. He already told them he do–

His eyes widen upon realization. “The headquarters! Remember the storage room where you bought the weapons from Kai?” He looks at Ten with buzzing excitement from being able to figure it out. “It’s been abandoned ever since. Maybe they took your friend there.”

“Hold up,” Jaehyun intercepts the conversation, shifting his gaze between Ten and L. “I’ve been quite confused.  I was wondering how you recognized this guy. From what I’m hearing you interacted with Venandi members?”

Ten rolls his eyes dramatically. “When I needed weapons to kill Taeil, Risa lead me to Venandi. I didn’t know she was planning to actually sell me off. That fucking whore.” Then he stands up and tosses the laptop to Jaehyun. “What the fuck are you all looking at me for? We got a place to go to. Rings a bell?”

***

They have no choice but to bring the former Venandi member with them. L was untied reluctantly with Yuta voicing out how the man might be tricking them. They can’t do anything about it – L is one way for them to reach Sicheng.

The drive to the headquarters takes them about an hour. The derelict building now resembles a haunted establishment with it appearing as if it’s devoid of souls. No lights, not a single shadow of a person around the area.

L leads the way in, using his own phone’s flashlight to see the way. It’s almost zero-visibility inside. Stained papers are strewn all over the floor with some other trash that was left by the place’s previous inhabitants. A few computers, probably damaged by now are covered in dust as well as the desks and chairs. Cabinets and drawers are open, empty of content.

When they’re a few steps away from the office that leads to the storage room, L brings up a hand to halt their movements and speaks in a hushed whisper. “Did you all pack heats?”

“Yes.” Ten answers before going inside, stepping over more papers as quietly as he can. The others follow in pursuit. Stopping to check, the caramel-head has his back pressed against a wall to listen for anything that hints presence coming from the storage room.

Just as he’s about to open his mouth to talk to the rest, a rustling elicits from the room. Without wasting a second, Ten steps out of his spot and rushes inside, gun pointed at…

…at nothing but a stray cat. The room is completely empty. The shelves are now free of weapons, even the frames on the walls are now gone.  

In the middle of darkness, they find no Venandi, no Cygnus, and certainly no Dong Sicheng.

They’ve been tricked.

The Red Phoenix heir’s shoulders sag in a mixture of disappointment and surging anger as a silent chuckle slips past his lips. He doesn’t even need to look at the others to know they’re wearing the same emotions on their faces. The only difference is he manages to school his features like they were not just made to look like complete fools.

“L,” He says through the quiet of the room. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“I’m sure. Where else would they store the weapons? This is their main and only office. Plus…” The man pauses, voice dwindling as he hesitates. “I told you it was a riddle. They’re obviously playing with you.”

Doyoung approaches the former Venandi member to show another message on the laptop. “I just received something new. It’s still in Italian.”

_‘Salve, salve. Stai cercando me? Vai nella stanza. Guarda sopra e sotto. Se I’oscuritá è ciò che vedi, allora scusa, non c’è niente qui._ _Non fare niente di stupido finché non ti darò un indizio oppure morirà.’_

_“_ Hello, hello. Are you looking for me? Head to the room. Look above and below. If darkness is what you see, then I’m sorry, there’s nothing here. Don’t do anything stupid until I give you another clue or he will die.”

An abrupt noise startles all of them. Yuta kicks another chair, screaming in frustration. “I’m gonna fucking kill them! I swear to God when I see those motherfuckers…”

No one placates the Japanese anymore. They all share the same anger and hostility, except for L.

Ten stuffs the gun back in its holster. “What time is it?”

“Wee hours.”

Johnny sighs, sliding down the floor with his legs spread apart, looking utterly dejected. “I guess we should stay here for the meantime. We honestly don’t know when and what they’ll tell us next.”

They all do the same, claiming their own spaces in the room. Jaehyun sits next to the blue-eyed while the couple is side by side. Doyoung is on the other side of Jaehyun while Yuta’s a fair distance apart from them. L is quiet at one corner.

Ten rests against an empty shelf, the wood pressing quite comfortably on his back as he plays with a spare bullet. “We don’t have a fucking choice, do we? Just stay alert.”

“The laptop’s dying,” The light from the screen illuminates Doyoung’s face, giving him an eerie vibe amidst complete darkness. “I’m going to connect it to your phone, Jaehyun. So the next messages will go there directly.”

“Sure.”

Quietness falls among them. The seconds in their minds tick by, a mental clock running as they count what feels like an eternity without Dong Sicheng, when in reality it hasn’t even been a quarter of a day yet since the arsonist was taken away.

Pounding in their chests are erratic hearts full of fear and gloom, encased in tired bodies and burdened souls. Ten’s eyes are wide, staring at a blank space seeing nothing but black. Suddenly, the memories of his stay in the asylum come crashing to him like a freight train, reminding him of the nights he spent beating his head against cold concrete walls just so the ghosts of his past would leave him alone.

He tried so hard. But they’re all coming back to him now. He should’ve stolen some pills. Even the image of Jaehyun’s eyes doesn’t work.

When he feels a slight twitch of a finger, he begrudgingly thanks the physical anonymity at the moment because no one is going to see, no one is going to shame him once again. He shouldn’t care if they do, but it’s scary that he’s starting to.

Taeyong’s soft voice rings in the Paris’ winter air, creating a cloud of breath as he speaks. “Isn’t it…funny? We weren’t expecting this at all. Well, we should’ve. It was obvious but we were blinded by what’s only in front of us. You told us something about looking past the sparkly things to see the threatening dirt right, Ten? I still remember that. You were having a fever because they were constantly drugging you.”

Maybe he should ask Taeyong to stop. He doesn’t want to remember it anymore.

Because everything from that night only leads to one thing – of Jaehyun causing another permanent scar on his body.

No. Ten doesn’t want to remember it.

“We just went here for a meeting and a short taste of paradise, or so we thought. Because this isn’t paradise at all.” The Thai nurse chuckles to try to lighten the mood. It’s futile. “Johnny and I were out, Jaehyun and Ten were out – because that’s what we were supposed to do, right? To have fun even just for a little bit. Yet we were not even spared a day. How did we get so careless?”

“I’m sorry.” Jaehyun whispers. “I should’ve – I thought we were fine.”

“No, Jaehyun. We’re all in this together. We are responsible too. But personal grudges don’t die until they get a reason to. It’s our fault we’re in this situation after two years of thinking we got it all in place.”

The knife thrower scoffs. “Nah, you fuckwits. It’s  _my_ fault. Maybe if I didn’t kill Kim Jaeseok, Red Phoenix would still be around. Maybe you’d be in the clinic being the midget nurse that you are.“ Taeyong whines, although playfully. “Maybe Doyoung would be answering mails. Maybe Johnny, Yuta and Jaehyun would be doing field work and Sicheng would be too busy with his games to even join you. And I’d be in my room sucking in the hoarded candies from the vending machine because I have no life.” Ten purses his lips with a low hum. “I apologize.”

“Take it back.”

“What, Bugs Bunny? Be glad ‘cause I don’t own up to my sins often.”

Doyoung’s voice hardens, unrelenting from Ten’s remark. “I want you to take it back. What you did, what happened to Red Phoenix – they were all unfortunate. But that was a boring life. I don’t want to sit through the day typing. Taeyong would be too desperate for patients he’d start killing his own colleagues.” Another protest sprouts from the nurse that they collectively ignore. Johnny only listens with an amused face – though they don’t see much in the dark, and Yuta hasn’t said a single thing. “Namgyu would continue to tolerate your sickness. Red Phoenix would deal with weak, bottom-feeders.”

“It’s the same old routine. It’s your fault and we’re beat right now. But this is way better than before. My blood rushes, my mind runs. The only downside is  _this_ moment. We have better lives now. We got a cooler kingpin and we get overseas vacations we never got in Red Phoenix. We have higher positions now.” Doyoung pauses for a while, thinking of more things to say. “So take it back, Ten. We don’t want that old life. And we’ll get Sicheng by the end of this day.”

“Fine.” That’s all Ten gives Doyoung after listening to the other’s monologue. He has nothing sentimental to say. If they think things are fine, if they’re not going to curse him anymore for all the hardships they’d gone through, then fine. Ten will let it be. Sometimes it’s tiring to take all the blame and get no damn break. “Hey, you wanna play a game?”

Jaehyun pushes himself up to a better sitting position. “What game?”

“Never have I ever.” Someone in the room snorts. “You hold up five fingers. You say something that you’ve never done before that you think everyone else did. You bring one finger down if you did it. The one who has more fingers remaining wins. Come on, it’s fucking boring. Unless you have better ideas.”

“We don’t have better ideas. You joining, Yuta?”

“No.”

The atmosphere slightly tenses. Ten shrugs, squinting. “Don’t cheat. I’ll start. Never have I ever gone to a theme park.”

“Asshole.” The simultaneous response makes him smirk. All of them playing except him put a finger down. From the corner of his eyes, L shifts, watching. Ten ignores the man. “I know. Jaehyun you’re next.”

“Never have I ever had a boyfriend.”

Doyoung gives him a what-the-fuck look. “Eurgh…”

Jaehyun raises a brow. “We’re not dating. Put your fingers down!”

With a wicked chortle, Doyoung keeps holding up four fingers. “I’m really the only straight one here. Never have I ever kissed a guy.”

Ten grits his teeth as he puts a finger down, holding up four. “I’m gonna fucking castrate you.”

“I’m going to die! All of you are jerks.” Taeyong hisses. “Never have I ever topped.”

Johnny is the next one to complain. “This is so damn sad, Taeyong. Didn’t expect you to drop me like that.”

“Sorry I don’t wanna die…”

“Whatever. Never have I ever bottomed.”

“Johnny!” Taeyong has only one finger left. “I’ll stab you in the eyes!”

Ten looks at his remaining three fingers. “You’re missing out. The feel of dick up your ass is  _majestic._ Like taking drugs and shit around you looks like vaporwave.”

Once again, L shifts. Ten glares at him.  _What the hell is wrong with this sonnuva bitch?_

“…This is so embarrassing.” Jaehyun follows Taeyong’s footsteps in complaining. “Can we stop now?”

“No. Back to me.” Ten takes his eyes away from L. “Never have I ever played mobile games.”

“Murderer!” Their combined voices make the knife thrower flinch and pick his ear.

“Thanks for stating the obvious but can’t you guys come up with something else?” The caramel-head slouches in his spot, bending up a leg to rest his arm over it. “Sicheng would’ve brought a finger down.”

The comment arouses a solemn air.  It’s difficult to see but their expressions are etched the same – blue and longing.

And only if they could adjust their visions even more in the dark, maybe they’d see a little smile curved on Yuta’s lips.

***

Three hours pass by. All of them have fallen asleep, except for Ten Chittaphon. He can’t sleep, he doesn’t want to. How could they get a wink of sleep knowing someone’s taken away from them and they have no clue as to where that person is, or what’s happening to him?

_Ah, it’s probably the clean conscience. They baited Sicheng because of me and not them anyway._

Darkness retreats little by little as the sun begins to rise. Ten stands and dusts off his pants to look around aimlessly just to have something to do, to distract his mind from going to places he wishes not to visit.

A familiar beep comes from the storage room. Without wasting a second he pads across and snatches Jaehyun’s phone from the younger’s loose grip, eventually waking the latter who groggily mumbles.

There’s a new message.

“L, wake the fuck up.” Ten grasps the other’s arm, dragging him out of sleep to shove the phone on his face. “Tell me what it says.”

The rough voice wakes everyone and once again, dread greets them like a mocking ‘good morning.’

Without a choice, L reads the message, forcing his mind to work in the early morning so he can translate it as quick as possible.

_‘Rose, pietre, il letto della morte. Capire il proprio nemico significa comprendere la sua mente. Vieni con I soldi che abbiamo perso. Ricordi? È quanto costa.’_

_“_ Rose, stones, bed of the dead. To see your enemy is to see its head. Come with the money we lost. Do you remember? It’s how much you cost.”

Ten looks at the message. “Are we talking about a cemetery here? Where did they bury your boss?”

“In Père Lachaise.”

“You’re fucking kidding me,” A devious laugh erupts from the blue-eyed man, remembering what he did there not even a day ago. Just then, the phone in his hand rings and he swiftly turns away from Jaehyun’s approaching hand to answer the call.

He doesn’t speak.

_‘How’s your sleep? We hope you had good dreams because this one right here did not even get a wink of it. I think he’s afraid that if he closes his eyes, they won’t open ever again.’_

Johnny blocks Yuta with an arm when the Japanese makes a move to approach Ten. The call is still in loud speaker mode for all of them to hear.

And what they hear next sets their hearts aflame, wishing nothing but death to fall upon their enemies.

‘ _You’re not getting what you want! They’re going to kill you! I swe–‘_

Sicheng doesn’t get to finish what he’s saying. Muffled, violent noises slip through the phone. The arsonist’s been gagged.

_‘I hope your friend is wrong. He’s been saying things that don’t make sense, trying to instill fear in everyone here. Are you even where I want you all to be? I hope the messages are understood. It just spices up the game. We will see you soon.’_

The call ends after that. Jaehyun catches the phone as it is haphazardly tossed in his direction. Ten scratches his head, his face morphing into its usual blank slate. “How much was I sold that time? I wasn’t paying attention.”

“€80,000,000”

“That’s merely a coin to Invictus now, right? We need the money. Cygnus just made their much-awaited appearance.”

“Let’s go!” Johnny’s voice rings in the already cold morning air. “We won’t let this day end without Winwin.”

 

0o0o0

 

They had quickly made a trip to one of the banks associated with Invictus. Granted with the exact amount of money in several bags, they head straight to Père Lachaise with renewed energy. They’re aware that it is highly likely that Sicheng is still not there, but another location is another place closer to the arsonist.

They just need to keep going.

True to their intuition, they find no trace of the Chinese man. But they find Alessio’s tomb at the very back of the cemetery, hidden away from the public’s eye.

Ten dumps the bags over the tomb covered in a thin layer of snow. The light drizzle of soft white started when they left the abandoned headquarters. At this point, nobody gives a damn on the drop of temperature. They’re heated enough to keep themselves warm.

“So what now? For how many hours do you think we’re going to stay here?” Taeyong questions with an annoyed huff. “That HQ is better than thi–“

“Quiet.” Ten interrupts as he finds a paper over the tomb. A smirk grows on his face when he sees who it came from. “Hey, L. I think you have another job to do.”

Their impromptu translator trudges up to Ten with an unreadable expression. No one notices the way he stands next to the caramel-head with no gap between their arms – except for Jaehyun.

The Kingpin doesn’t know what he’s looking at but he doesn’t like it.

“ _Solo Ten Chittaphon potrà venire._ _Se porti qualcon altro allora Dong Sicheng morirà.”_ L hands the note back to the knife thrower. “It basically says only you will come. Sicheng will die if you come with someone else.”

Ten raises a brow, eyes skimming over the foreign sentence. “Where the hell am I supposed to go?” Reflexively glancing back at the tomb, he notices another paper. This time it’s a picture of a theater. “ _Qu’est-ce que ça veut?”_ He mumbles in his mother tongue as he continues to stare at the picture, squinting as he reads a small note at the bottom of it:  _it ends at the place where you killed the kingpin of Cygnus._

Then it suddenly clicks.

“The fucking theater,” Ten curses, crumpling the photo in his hand as he looks at the squad. “They fucking have Sicheng at the auction venue.”

They all follow the knife thrower as Ten makes his way back to the van, wrenching the door open. “Johnny, drive back to Gambetta. I need all the weapons I can bring.”

 

The vault room in the Gambetta hideout is veiled by the large painting of  _The Empire of Flora_  by the end of the hallway. All the weapons – guns of different calibers, an array of knives, explosives and other deadly tools, even torture equipment are kept inside.

For Ten Chittaphon, it’s  _home._

He emerges out of the vault room carrying several of different knives specifically designed for his expertise – switchblades, gravity and ballistic knives, stilettos, daggers and folding cleavers made to cut through bones, as well as a handgun.

The squad together with L, watch him swiftly insert all the knives in straps before taking off his top to wrap it around his torso. Jaehyun honestly doesn’t know how it works, how he manages to grab all the knives in a blink of an eye and how the blades don’t cut through his skin.

Perhaps they will never understand the strength of the only Red Phoenix member surpassing a Diamond card.

“Ten, we’re going with you.” Jaehyun stands beside the knife thrower, beside the person that he possibly treasures the most.

“Didn’t you get the last message? They want me alone. If I bring you there, Sicheng is dead. Do you want them to fucking kill him because I let you come?” The caramel-head zips up the last strap and puts his shirt back on.

Yuta voices out a disagreement. “But you don’t know how many men are there waiting for you!”

Burning blue eyes dart over the Japanese, fatally intense. “I need no fucking reinforcements. They want me, they’re getting me. These bastards disparaged me by taking Sicheng instead – and I’ll face them alone. But if you wanna help, do so when it calls.”

“When it calls?” Jaehyun exclaims in both anger and worry. Ten is offering himself up to the enemies. “That’s Sicheng we’re talking about. What if he’s not there? What if they’re tricking you? Of course we’re fighting too and…and you shouldn’t do this alone. I don’t want you to do this alone.”

“Listen, Jaehyun – and the rest of you,” Ten’s tone leaves no room for protest. “They just want to see  _me_. If they catch you, who’s suffering? Isn’t it Sicheng, the person we’re trying to fucking save? You’ll know when to give it a go. But while I’m doing fine, don’t interfere. I know Sicheng said you don’t care about me and he’s important to all of you so I won’t jeopardize that. If I get hurt then I get fucking hurt, you will only move to get Sicheng.”

Ten’s eyes roll so hard in the back of his head that he almost feels it get stuck. “Not being a martyr so close your mouths. I don’t want Jaehyun crying to me if his friend dies.” Turning around, the Red Phoenix heir inserts the gun in the holster on his back. He goes back to the vault room with the Invictus kingpin in tow and hastily fills an arm of grenades.

“It’s the last time I’m harming people, I promise. If me killing is what you’re worried about.” Ten says monotonously without facing the younger.

Jaehyun’s eyes are on the older’s back, watching the muscles ripple beneath the clothes. “The last time you made a promise, you broke it. You escaped the asylum. You were supposed to be there for a longer time.”

“You know, Jaehyun,” Ten turns around, expression blank. “Some promises are meant to be broken, especially the ones that keep me away from you.”

His chest pounds as though an invisible force pummels it and the air is knocked out of his lungs. He’s rooted on his spot even as Ten leaves the vault room to hand the explosives to Johnny, and even as Jaehyun tries to listen, the only thing he hears is the rush of blood in his veins and the alarming beating of his heart.

 _Holy shit._ Ten Chittaphon has that effect that might possibly kill him and Jaehyun doesn’t even mind one fucking bit of it.

***

The van stops 50 meters away from the theater. Ten pulls the stick of the lollipop out of his mouth and swirls the candy before munching down on it, breaking it in pieces. “So. You can’t join me in the game, sad to say. When I don’t come out of that place in thirty minutes after the first gunshot echoes, you’re free to do whatever you want. But most especially, take Sicheng. He’s your priority.” Ten pats Jaehyun’s thigh and gets out of the van, sending them a salute before casually walking to his destination, hands slipped in his pockets as though he’s not about to get into another war.

Ever since the sabotage at the auction, the area had been completely devoid of life. Besides, the place has always been one that people don’t normally find themselves in. So whatever transpires at the ruined theater, nobody’s ever going to live long enough to know.

Ten briskly walks through the piercing cold wind. The chilly breeze tries to stab through his clothes but he’s undeterred with his mind already focused on what’s going to welcome him, and absolutely nothing will be able to take the wind right out of his sails. It’s only then, when he steps into the rundown theater does it dawn on him that he’s got no one to back him up for a whole half an hour of men raining bullets and whatnot on him. He doesn’t even have an idea as to how many are waiting to have his head on a platter. Not that it matters.

_If I die, than that’s it. That’s the most deserved ending of this fucking tragic life story._

The place is still empty. He’s at the lobby that is dusted with powdered concrete and grime. The walls are perforated, cracked. When the wind howls, it echoes inside, emphasizing the fact that it’s empty, lifeless and haunted. Scattered debris on the ground is what accompanies Ten Chittaphon for ten minutes until the sounds of vehicles reach his ears.

The game is about to begin.

“Ten Chittaphon,”

A man looking like he’s in his 30s, dressed in all black from head to toe leads a group of men, 10 in number. It’s the owner of the voice that had called the first time – Zero.

“So I see you’re the kind of man that listens well to his master like a dog, coming alone with no one to control your leash.” The insult doesn’t even get to him. If anything, it’s almost cheap amusement. “I trust that you didn’t bring anyone else with you. Because we’ll be damned if they ever appear and the game isn’t finished. Anyway,” Zero takes a few steps forward, arrogance steaming out of him. “Word said one needs to get rid of you before anything else is done. So the other Invictus pests will be the next ones to go down after we’re done with you.”

“Whoever said that is right, not that I’m bragging – and are you going to yap ‘til the end of the day because,” Ten picks his ear. “I didn’t come here to talk. Where is Sicheng?”

“Now, now. Let’s get to that later. Did you leave the money in Père Lachaise?”

Ten watches as the men pull out their guns, cocking. It only  _exhilarates_ him. “Of course. I mean, I might be ruthless, but I’m willing to give charity to have all of you stop panhandling around. Tell me, how does it feel to  _beg_?”

Zero’s face tightens. “You will know when I make you.”

“Nuh-uh!” Ten raises a hand, halting their movements. “Tell me  _your,“_  He turns to the man standing beside Zero. He almost looks just like the rest of the irrelevant men, only that the anger and revenge on his face are just as strong on him as they are on Zero’s. “Name first. Isn’t it unfair you know mine and I don’t know yours? This isn’t how friendship works.”

The man in question scoffs, rotating a pistol. “Elijah – f you’re that hell-bent on knowing the names of your murderers. You killed my father.”

“Ohoho, so you’re the Cygnus guy! Where are your underlings?” Ten looks around with his lips pursed. “I don’t see much.”

“Don’t worry; they’re on standby, waiting for the right time to put you where you belong.”

“And where is that?”

“Right in the middle of this place, covered in your own blood.”

“Sweet.” Ten sing-songs, caressing his stomach over the clothes. The feel of knives invigorates him.  “But you got some things wrong. Because I asked for your names so I’ll know what to put on your gravestones. And the only one dying in here is everyone…” The Red Phoenix heir slips a hand beneath his shirt. “But me.”

They don’t see it coming. Ten Chittaphon hurls four knives against the men, accurately striking their jugulars. He moves swiftly as blood spurts from their wounds, hiding behind a ruined wall as they recover from shock and begin to rain bullets.

Ten stays hidden for a while, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike back. The handgun is hot and heavy in his hands as he cocks it, ready to blow their brains off. “Four, Zero! Four! I already killed four of your fucking men and I haven’t even fucking sweat it out yet!” The caramel-head gets out of his hiding spot to shoot twice, missing. His back is pressed against the wall again before another set of throwing knives cuts through the air, ending between the eyes of Venandi men.

Honestly, he can’t distinguish them. He’s uncertain whether their group is a mixture of Cygnus and Venandi. But it doesn’t matter because they will all look the same when they are festering six feet under.

“I will kill you, Ten! You will pay for it!” Several shots reverberate in the air. Ten mentally counts – it’s been five minutes. He still has 25 minutes left to finish them all or for them to finish him. Until then, he needs to make do with his own while the squad is waiting.

Two daggers pierce through the chest of one man. Just as Ten begins to think he’s winning, another group of them enter, and he’s back behind the wall, reloading a gun. He’s got no more patience to spare. This has to end as soon as possible.

He runs to a pillar. He pulls out another set of throwing knives, tossing it to the enemies and taking down three. A curse slips past his lips when one of the knives misses a man, impaling against a wall instead.

Shouts and screams fill the abandoned theater. Ten tries to save the knives and uses the gun instead, spilling all the bullets until one, two, three more men are down and Zero is starting to get impatient.

It’s been fifteen minutes and Ten Chittaphon is still alive.

“Come out, Ten Chittaphon. You know you will not live long enough to see this day end.”

From where he is, the knife thrower spots a vehicle parked by the entrance. One of its windows is down and his eyes harden at the sight of Dong Sicheng in it, tied and bloodied on the face.

_Bastards. You said he won’t get hurt._

“I guess it’s time for payback.” Ten presses a button on his belt. It’s the emergency call to the squad when the thirty minutes are over – but he can’t stall. Sicheng needs immediate help.

He’s about to run out of bullets, second magazine used up when one by one, the enemies get shot. Ten sees Yuta and Jaehyun with their guns aimed at Cygnus and Venandi. As the attention is briefly taken away, the addition of the Invictus squad catching the two orgs off-guard, Sicheng is whisked off by Doyoung and immediately transferred to their van.

Taeyong is the one driving this time. That means Johnny and possibly L are left behind.

Ten doesn’t know where the others are hiding but they should be safe enough. He climbs the second floor through the staircase at the corner and gets into a better angle, using his last bullets to kill the worthless men of the foreign orgs.

As he glances down, he sees Jaehyun, brows furrowed in concentration. “Hey!” Ten calls the younger’s attention. “I ran out of bullets! They’re still coming in!”

“I got extra! Stay there!” Jaehyun goes into hiding. Several seconds pass before he appears again, tossing the magazine to Ten’s way.

He’s got ahold of the magazine when Jaehyun’s cries pierce through the place. Ten glances down to see the kingpin with his bloodied hand pressed against his chest. The gun has skidded across the floor from the impact of the bullet grazing Jaehyun’s hand.

Yuta’s eyes widen. Jaehyun can’t fight – from the many times he’s seen the other shoot, he knows Jaehyun’s Gold card is useless and his aim is shit when he uses his left hand.

Then promptly, everything comes back to him, heightening his emotions. These men lied. These men hurt Sicheng. These men took the person most important to him.

“You’re all going to pay…” The Japanese gunman comes out of his hiding spot, snatching the gun on the floor to toss it to an unsuspecting L from behind. “Don’t think! Just shoot!”

He braves the onslaught of bullets, successfully dodging and hiding behind another wall. He’s gotten closer now. Yuta shoots, set to use all the bullets. He doesn’t care whoever he kills. He doesn’t care if he gets fatally shot and he won’t come back to Invictus. What matters is he’s doing all of this for Sicheng, he’s doing all of this to give the pain back, a hundred – even a thousand times worse.

Blood runs down his arm. He doesn’t even notice that a bullet is in him, doesn’t feel the pain. The area around the wound begins to get numb and tears blur his vision.

_I won’t forgive all of you for taking him._

Ten is numb. He hasn’t moved an inch, or he does – he’s unaware of it. Everything around him is blurred, and all the gunshots ringing in the air is suddenly gone. All he sees is the blood on Jaehyun’s hand and the man struggling to stop the blood from flowing as he presses it on his chest, shirt now soaked with red.

Memories of  _that_ night flash in his mind. Jaehyun was bleeding. Jaehyun was unconscious and he won’t fucking wake up no matter how hard the caramel-head slapped him. It was raining and Ten remembers feeling like the world was close to its end with the younger man’s head resting on his lap, the red, viscous liquid and its metallic stench clinging to him.

Bile rises up his throat and Ten retches. He can never stomach the thought of Jaehyun dying. He will kill everyone, lick their blood off his blades and mesh their innards and still, he will never bat an eye but when it’s Jung Jaehyun on the line, he wonders why his insides disapprovingly churn and suddenly, the smell of blood isn’t enticing anymore.  

_No one can kill him before you do, Ten. No one can break Jung Jaehyun in a lot of ways if it’s not you._

Blue eyes trail over the young kingpin. Jaehyun struggles to get up but is pressed down by Johnny. They have no other guns. L is using Jaehyun’s, shit at aiming, and Johnny had taken their extra.

Something inside the knife thrower clicks. All that has changed in him reverts to their darker sides and his eyes glaze over with the urge to kill, kill,  _kill._

_Murder them, Ten._

_Kill them all._

The voice in his head whispers. And in a blink of an eye he hops off of the second floor, landing next to Yuta and shouting through the noises of gunshots and a sudden explosion that flips the cars outside, breaking them into pieces.

“Fucking bastards!” Ten hops over a debris and impales a dagger through one of the enemies’ skull, the end of the blade passing through the other side of the head. Blood splashes on his face when he pulls it out and just as he turns to come for Elijah, the other has already run out of the place.  _Fucking coward._

Johnny and L continue to shoot the men. Ten glances up to see Zero on the second floor, the opposite side of where he was earlier.

“Mm, you’re hiding, aren’t you…”

“Ten watch out!”

He makes a move to head to the staircase when a vehicle speeds inside and hits the knife thrower, sending Ten skidding across the rough concrete floor.

Jaehyun calls for the other’s name but Ten is not moving. He urges Johnny to keep shooting and tosses another magazine for the taller to reload the gun.

Someone comes out of the vehicle and steps over the unmoving man on the ground. From their spot, they can’t shoot whoever it is as the vehicle blocks the way, hindering the Invictus members from taking him down.

“This one is dead!”

Jaehyun’s heart freezes.

It can’t be.

The man crouches to grab a handful of Ten’s long, caramel tresses and rolls him on his back. Just as he leans in to check if the knife thrower’s breathing, a pair of blue eyes stares right through him.

“Ouch.”

Ten takes the man by surprise, not giving him a chance to react as he presses the muzzle of his gun on the enemy’s throat, pulling the trigger. Slabs of flesh hit him after blowing off the man’s throat. “Fucking take that.”

In no time he’s up again, hopping over the vehicle to shoot the remaining men, aiming either right between their eyes or straight to their hearts. When he runs out bullets again, Ten grabs an enemy’s hand, pulls out a small cleaver from the strap attached to his torso and cuts the limb, tossing the hand at the next man that charges at him. He evades the attack, sidestepping him with a violent twist of the man’s arm before stabbing the man straight through his heart. Using the man’s arm, Ten hikes the weight over his shoulder and uses the body to shield himself from incoming bullets.

It’s not enough. Some of them are still up.

As his patience runs out, Ten thinks  _fuck it_ , runs and skids across the asphalt, the concrete painfully grazing his skin to hurl several throwing knives on the men shooting from the second floor in only a matter of seconds. He trips one of them in the process, sending the other on his back on the floor before driving a blade on the base of their throat. The pathetic man splutters, grabbing the open wound, and Ten watches as life is quickly drained from their terrified eyes.

He continues to fight, dodging a kick on his head and driving his boot on the man’s balls before sending an uppercut to the enemy’s jaw, grabbing the staggering man’s head from behind to yank and break the neck without so much as a word from him. One of the sharpest knives he has is finally taken out of the strap and it cuts through the man’s neck, splitting flesh, spurting blood and slicing bones in several tugs until the head detaches from the body.

Splotches of blood are already stuck to him from head to toe. Ten glances back to see Yuta and Johnny take over. They can finish the remaining ones.

Which leaves a frightened Zero to him.

He slowly climbs the staircase, decapitated head of a nameless man still in his grasp while he  holds an eye contact with Venandi’s second-in-command. He can  _smell_ the fear radiating off of the man’s trembling form.

It makes him want to have a taste of it.

“It’s been a long time coming, Zero. You might be wondering how I know your name when I only asked Elijah’s. The thing is,” His head tilts to the right, huge eyes still glued at the opponent before him. “We got a little Venandi on our side. Doesn’t it hurt your big, manly ego?”

Zero points the gun at him and pulls the trigger. Nothing comes out of it.

Ten chortles, malice and  _devilry_ dripping fresh from it. “You’re dying next.” He tosses the head to the man’s direction and it rolls pathetically to Zero’s feet. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t.” The man’s gruff voice can’t even hide the nervousness in it.

“Oh?” Amusement bubbles in the knife thrower’s chest. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s my line.”

His nonchalance provokes Zero even more and Ten wants to laugh because it’s  _useless_  to be mad at the knife thrower when in a minute or two, the other’s nothing but another version of their kingpin – dead and forgotten.

“I’ll ki–“

Too much talk. A knife flings across and digs through Zero’s thigh, sending him kneeling on the ground. The sound of the man’s pained cries is music to his ears – just like the pleas and shouts of Kim Jaeseok and Moon Taeil combined.

He finds himself standing behind Zero. Ten yanks his head back, neck bent painfully. “Do you see that?” His other hand grabs the man’s jaw and forces him to watch what happens down below. “Two men remain. In a few seconds, you’re nothing but history that no one will ever retell.”

Zero trembles violently in his hold, begging to be spared in a shaky, broken voice.

“I told you you’re going to die, didn’t I? Look where arrogance got you.” Ten’s lips brush over the man’s earlobe, his breath tickling it. “You know what I want to do to you, Zero?”

The man shakes his head vigorously. “No –  _please,_ let me go. I’ll run, I won’t take the money and I won’t bother Invictus anymore. I’m sorry!”

“You’re sorry? Tch. You’re going to be a lot more than that.” His words make the man beg harder, louder. And Ten is living for it. “Again. Do you know what I’ll do to you?”

“No… Please…”

“That’s unfortunate.” Ten’s shoulders shake as he laughs. “I think I’ll show you instead.”

Cries echo throughout the theater as Ten goes  _berserk,_ driving  _three_ knives through Zero’s chest, all of it passing through the pathetic man’s body. He doesn’t stop there – one of the knives slices down, from the chest to the stomach before it’s twisted around and dragged back up. Zero has long fallen limp in his hold but he continues, ripping through the flesh.

Ten keeps the body from falling. With a single kick to the torso, the torn part of it comes off and drops the ground with a wet, disgusting squelch. He picks up the heart, mercilessly squeezes it in his hand to drain the blood out of it before having a taste of the crimson liquid trickling down his forearm. Ten licks up a stripe and tosses the organ together with the body when he’s done, sated. It drops with a sickening, gut-wrenching thud as the neck breaks from the impact.

Silence fills the theater. Johnny, Jaehyun and Yuta are slack-jawed, having witnessed what Ten Chittaphon did to the last Venandi man. It’s not the first time they’ve seen him in his element, completely mad and deranged, succumbing to the murderous desires. But even though, it still takes their breath away, and a mixture of awe and horror buzzes in their veins.

The same thought occurs in their minds then – that no matter the circumstance, no matter the number of enemies and war awaits, Ten Chittaphon will always be the last man standing.

The knife thrower climbs down the stairs with a smooth gait as though he hadn’t just barbarically murdered several people. Red is splattered on him from head to toe and the only thing that Jaehyun hates about it is the way it’s coloring Ten’s caramel hair.

“Where’s L?” Is the first thing he says when he reaches them. Jaehyun pretends not to be annoyed. Besides, there are more pressing matters at hand – just like his bleeding palm. The skin is split open, courtesy of the bullet that grazed it.

Suddenly, someone enters the scene. It’s L with Elijah, the latter trying to get out of the former’s vice-like hold. “I caught him. Found him hiding at the back.” L shoves the man to Ten’s feet.

Elijah scrambles to get up, grunting as a boot meets the base of his throat then he’s on his back, struggling to breathe, choking as seconds tick by with Ten stepping down his neck.

“What is it? I can’t hear you.” Ten crouches, making a show of leaning in to hear better. Elijah only splutters as the foot digs harder down his neck. “Ah, alright. Since you asked so nicely.”

Ten removes his foot from the man’s throat – only to snap the neck without a word. Elijah’s head hits the concrete with a thump.   

No one speaks. The Red Phoenix heir ignores them in favor of approaching Jaehyun, squatting down the kingpin’s level. “I need a phone.”

“For what?”

“To call Taeyong. We need a ride. Johnny busted all these cars.”

“No need,” Yuta interrupts, putting the gun back in its holster. “We decided we’re heading to Garnet – they have Kim Jaejoong.”

“Oh, right.” Ten stares at the Silver-rate gunman before chuckling. “I think I fucking broke a rib.” He drops to the floor then, clutching his side. “That fucker got me good.”

Jaehyun drags himself to Ten’s side as Johnny calls for Garnet’s aid. “I hope you’re not mad I still reached out to them.”

“I don’t–“ Ten grunts, now feeling the pain course through his body. “I don’t give a flying fuck. Tell them to get their fucking asses here.”

“They’re on their way.” The younger assures him, raking his good hand through the sticky, matted tresses. “They’re on their way…”

Finally, it’s done. They got Sicheng, they’re all alive. Hoping that no other enemies will appear out of the blue, Jaehyun closes his eyes and listens to his own, pounding heartbeat. He thought Ten got killed. The fear, the dread – it was just like  _that_ night. He wouldn’t know what to do if it came to that.

 

0o0o0

 

Garnet’s clinic is twice the size of Red Phoenix’s and Invictus’. Taeyong stands before the bed where Sicheng is, scribbling down a clipboard. “You got a fractured nose and a cut over your eye but aside from those, nothing’s serious. For a week or two you’ll stay ugly with equally ugly bruises – that’s the bad news.”

Sicheng playfully punches the nurse’s arm. “Don’t be like that. You’ll take care of me. Bet you’re happy as fuck you got a patient.”

“You bet.” The Thai nurse snorts before peeking out of the curtain that divides Sicheng’s bed from another as a cacophony of noises fill the clinic. Garnet’s medical staff immediately tends to the rest of Invictus. The Chinese arsonist perks up as Yuta is placed on the bed next to his.

Taeyong rolls his eyes and pulls the drapes to the side to allow Sicheng to see.

“Well…” Sicheng starts, staring at the Japanese’s face. “You look like shit.”

“Thanks. You look worse.” Yuta lets a curse slip past his lips as the doctor injects him before he begins to feel lightheaded. “I’m glad you’re safe…”

Sicheng smiles. The doctor – Kim Jaejoong says something that he doesn’t understand before the curtains are pulled again.

Only Taeyong manages to catch the arsonist’s words and he finds that he doesn’t have a reason to disagree.

“I told them Ten will come for them. They should’ve listened to me.”

 

***

The Invictus Kingpin wasn’t given a chance to take a rest after his hand was treated, stitched and wrapped with a bandage before Fort himself had looked for him. The leader of Garnet takes him to the former’s office, hinting a serious talk.

“I can feel that it’s urgent.” Jaehyun says, inspecting his injured hand. “If you’re going to ask about Ten, Kim Jaejoong is now checking up on him in one of the private rooms. Ten won’t stay in the clinic and get checked up in the open.”

“I figured as much,” Fort stands before his younger business partner, scrutinizing Jaehyun. “Tell me. Did he insist on taking them down on his own?”

“He did. He only allowed us to join if he wasn’t done in half an hour, but before it even reached 30 minutes we got an alarm from him. I think it’s because he found Sicheng.”

Quietness stretches between the two bosses for a minute as Yunho looks out the window, watching his men bring shipments in. “What kind of business are you planning to start here, Jaehyun?”

Confusion begins to settle in his mind. From what he remembers, Fort told him to think about it again, especially the building of Invictus HQ in France – but it seems like the other is suddenly interested. “I’m thinking of loaning money and starting a casino. I’ve already discussed it with the advisors and they gave me a go. I don’t know when I’m going to start it since I need to think about the dif–“

“Jaehyun,” The Garnet leader cuts in, looking at him. “You know that I’m here to guide you, correct? I know more than you do and I’m willing to offer aid. You’re young, smart – but you’ve gotten to the top right away and I’ll be frank – it’s not just because of your own persistence. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but this – branching out, flying back and forth, handling both local and international affairs, it will be overwhelming.”

“I know. It’s been my…my dream to be known, to build such an undefeatable reputation.” Jaehyun guesses he should be touched, or whatever it is called since someone who knows what he’s doing is looking out for him. After everything, he knows he still needs more than what he’s already advised with.

Yunho nods, approaching his desk and sitting on its edge. “Fair enough. But handling both branches that are miles and miles apart, it will take a toll on you, both physically and mentally. There’s a reason why Garnet, despite being a Korean mafia is permanently in France. Is greed for power and control enough to compensate?”

His forehead creases, slightly ticked by the question. “Greed is only natural in our line of work, Fort. I don’t think it’s something that I should reconsider.”

“You’re technically Red Phoenix. Invictus was their subgroup. You used their projects; you are catering to their clients. And that isn’t even the optimal part,” Yunho smiles. “You are housing their heir.”

Jaehyun straightens, heart pounding. “What are you trying to say, Fort?”

“What I’m saying is,” The Garnet boss leans back, regarding Jaehyun with nothing but calmness. “You’re building another HQ with a new project and at the same time continuing what’s already been existing – the projects that the Red Phoenix heir should be handling by himself. And you can’t do this alone. You clearly need another hand in this.” Yunho’s expression turns serious and from that, Jaehyun knows the other is not just playing. Fort never plays. “Two headquarters. You are a reliable, strong, wise kingpin – but you also need someone who is not afraid of going through the battle alone, someone who lives through bouts of flames and pricks of ice. Someone who looks at death right in the eyes. Someone who is just as capable and someone you know deserve what you have – because it was theirs.”

“…I thought you don’t get personal with anyone other than Red Phoenix?”

“The one we are talking about is their heir, and one of my members.”

Jaehyun’s head hangs low as he weighs his options, weighs everything that was said to him. He doesn’t have the right to deny Fort. Everything that was told to him, everything that was rubbed on his face is true. The heir of Red Phoenix is alive. Even if Ten doesn’t care about the organization, he is still the second-in-command after its leader. And everything should’ve fallen into Ten Chittaphon’s hands.

He can’t be selfish now. He can’t be when Ten Chittaphon is involved.

“Are you sure you’re not saying these to me because you’re looking out for your member?”

The question softens Fort’s face, erasing the seriousness. “Perhaps I am. I told you I wasn’t going to help if it doesn’t involve him. But basically, he was still involved, fighting all of those men to get one of yours back. He managed to come out alive of that auction before I even terminated Cygnus and Venandi. The reason why I wouldn’t get in between while it was going on – is because I know Ethan could do it by himself. And he did, proving yet again that he doesn’t need me. I would be insulting him if I insisted on helping. I put my trust in him just like my father put his trust on Lee Namgyu. That’s also what I’m expecting from you.”

No response comes from the leader of Invictus. Jaehyun’s mind is blank. He can’t decide this right away. Actually, he isn’t the one that should be deciding anything.

As ironic as it is, Fort takes the lack of response as the answer itself. The suggestion is sudden, but too important to postpone.

“When you come to a decision, you know where to find me.”  

***

Jaehyun enters one of the rooms that Fort had generously lent. The door closes softly behind him just as the knife thrower’s eyes open, darting straight to the kingpin’s form.

“I told you to get some sleep.”

“Well I can’t fucking sleep so suck it up.” A grumble comes from the older as he pushes himself to sit up in bed, back touching the headboard. “Where have you been?”

“I was talking to Fort. I see they got you cleaned up already. Nice robe.” A chuckle rumbles out of the younger’s chest as he sits on the bed, facing Ten. “What did they say about the rib?”

“It’s not a broken rib because of all the shit they considered. But it’s going to bruise – actually it already is. It’s just sore.”

“And you were exaggerating?”

“Fuck you, I am still fucking hurt. Don’t fuck with me.”  

The influx of curses ticks Jaehyun off and he sighs, scratching his cheek. Ten will never learn how to speak without swearing the life out of anyone talking to him.  

And it’s not a good thing for a future leader of a first-rate organization.

“Can you please stop saying fuck every two seconds?”

Ten glares momentarily before a glint of naughtiness crosses his eyes. “Why the hell? Would you rather I  _do_  it?”

Of course, he can also never survive a day without being sexually vulgar.

“Ten, I have something to propose to you.”

“Same-sex marriage is accepted in France but  _no,_ Jaehyun. It is not on my bucket list. I don’t even have a bucket list.” Though the words are playful, Ten’s expression says otherwise. When he does it, when he puts on that unreadable look, no one can see through him at all, not even Jaehyun.

Ignoring the unsolicited comment, Jaehyun continues. “You know how Invictus is building another HQ based here, right?”

The knife thrower’s eye twitches. “Just get straight to the point. Is it too hard now that I proved that you are, indeed, not straight?”

Jaehyun is tight-lipped. He really,  _really_ wants to hit Ten sometimes. “Will you ever take thing seriously?”

“Never. Unless I  _want_ to take it seriously.”

_I guess I need to cut to the chase, huh._

“I need you to man the French HQ.”

Ten’s eyes harden. “ _Manning the HQ_. Is that a less fancy word for being another kingpin of Invictus, Red Phoenix’s copy?”

Jaehyun shrugs. “If that’s how you want to put it. Listen, Ten. It’s time you need to take things seriously. Life is short, but that’s the more reason why you have to get it together. You are highly valuable. You are more than just a knife thrower, more than just a hidden heir, more than just a mental patient. You are Ten Chittaphon and you have no idea how many people will be willing to wrap themselves around your finger. You have no idea how much you can do.”

Warmth covers the blue-eyed man’s hands, thanks to Jaehyun’s own.

“Ten, let me be the first one to tell you I believe in you.”

A sudden laughter erupts from the caramel-head, startling Jaehyun. Ten withdraws his hands and clenches them, stopping the approaching quivers. “That’s so fucking dramatic. Just say you wanna partner up and go, this goddamned poet.”

“…Are you doing it?”

“What can I do? I’m bored as fuck after you brought me to that asylum to tame me. Honestly, I was kinda worried about what I’m gonna do once I’m out of that shithole.” Ten stares wide eyed at him, lips pursed. “Fine. Let’s make use of my title. Heir, isn’t it? But I have a question.”

 _Things are really much easier when the news is not broken to him aggressively,_ Jaehyun muses. He will keep that in mind.

“Ask whatever.”

“Do you think Lee Namgyu would’ve been proud of me?” A frown etches itself on the knife thrower’s face while he’s seemingly pulled into a deep thought.

A little taken aback by the question, the Invictus kingpin gets off the bed to walk to the window and watch the drizzle of snow. “Hm, I think he will brag you to both ends of the world.”

Ten’s expression shifts to that of annoyance. “First request as an unofficial leader – I will need you to stop pulling those poetic shit on me, alright?”

Shallow amusement is apparent on the younger’s face when he looks back at the older, at his future equal in terms of leadership. “Okay.”

“Good. So fuckin’ insufferable.”

They don’t speak for a moment, contented with just the comfortable silence – until something knocks at the back of Ten’s head, calling for his attention. “Hey, is L still here?”

“Why the fuck do you keep on asking about him? If you want to see him, then go look for him yourself.”

The sudden aggression catches the knife thrower off-guard. He almost questions the abrupt change in Jaehyun’s mood but he smirks as realization dawns on him. “My attraction only applies to you, so don’t be jealous.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“Yes, you are. Anyway, stop being a kid. I’m wondering since I’ll need subordinates, right? Be a dear and give the man a stable job.”

“Why,” Jaehyun starts, irritated. “Why do you want to take him, of all people? He’s an ex-Venandi. Have you forgotten? You must have knocked your head pretty bad.”

Calloused fingers rake through caramel strands, parting it on the side. They fall into their right place, exposing Ten’s forehead. “He’s useful. Are you not going to let me have a say when you just  _begged_ me to take over the French headquarters? What kind of control are you giving me - something that only works when you allow it?” A snarl elicits from the knife thrower’s mouth. “You know I hate being controlled.”

“Fuck,” Jaehyun hisses, glaring at the older. “Fine. But do background checks before you take him in.”

In a split second the hostility is gone from Ten’s face, replaced with an unnerving smile. “Thank you. I appreciate that. One more thing – since I’m staying in the French HQ, then that means I’d have to be away from you again.”

Irritation slowly dissipates from the younger’s face as he is reminded of a crucial fact. Yet before he voices out his own concern, Ten beats him to it with a nonchalant response.

“As long as we talk on the phone and I'm given the medicines I’ve been taking in the asylum, I’ll be fine. I’ve gotten better, alright. I think just hearing your voice is enough to keep me going. But you’re going to visit sometimes…?”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun says, a little breathless. Ten is looking at him, straight-faced yet his usually guarded eyes are now  _exposed_  for Jaehyun to see what has been hidden away from him, what hasn’t been willingly confessed to him – affection. “Yeah, I’ll see you whenever I can.”

 

0o0o0

 

Taeyong months.

Taeyong months was how long it took for Invictus to build another headquarters in Bordeaux, France and to settle all important details, set-up a system, and to finalize the start of a new business.

There are no technical reasons as to why it was built in Bordeaux – except that it was Ten Chittaphon’s – Invictus’ second kingpin’s birthplace.  

For the celebration of its opening, Fort organizes a gala. It’s to inform the availability of Invictus and its accessibility to other groups as well as the clients of their joint business. It will also be a platform for Jaehyun to announce the opening of the  _Red Phoenix_ Casino.

And last but not the least – Garnet will finally introduce their hidden member.

The glittery, golden half mask sits perfectly on Ten’s face. He stands in front of a full-length mirror in one of the VIP rooms in the same hotel that Garnet has always booked for their pompous gatherings, doing a last-minute check on his appearance.

“Relax,” Jaehyun teases from behind, staring at the caramel-head’s reflection. On his face is a mask looking exactly like the other’s. “You’re just going to stand there while Fort introduces you. You don’t need to say anything.”

It doesn’t calm the dull jitters that Ten is feeling. “But all eyes are going to  _look_ at me.”

“You’ll be fine, I swear.”

Knocks rap on the door before it’s opened by Jaehyun and Yunho comes in, mask already worn. “You need to be there in five minutes.”

“I’m counting on my head, geezer.”

The comment makes Fort raise a brow. “I’m not that old.” He then walks over to the Garnet member, replacing Jaehyun’s previous spot behind the caramel-head. “Tonight is the night, Ten. I hope you’re not going to back out.”

“Do I need a reason?” The knife thrower turns around, facing Fort. “I’m only here because you want to show me off. Don’t expect me to be closer to you. We’re not family.”

“Think whatever you want, Ethan. I’m doing this so everyone will know not to come for you again.”

“I don’t need it.”

“I know.” Yunho nods before heading to the door. “Perhaps I really just want to show off the strongest member of two crime organizations.”  

***

He lost count again. One, two, three….twenty six? Thirty? There are so many masked people in dresses and suits in front of him, looking up at him on the stage, standing between Jaehyun and Fort. He’s not sure whether he’s finally malfunctioning but the anxiety is gone, his hands are immobile on his sides and his heart beats steadily.

Is it because he’s taken pills earlier?

Probably.

Is it because Jung Jaehyun’s hand is pressed gently on the small of his back, telling him that it’s fine, the enemies are gone, the people before him won’t be able to touch a man of his caliber?

More likely.

Fort talks, announcing the new Invictus headquarters and the advantages it will bring to their clients. “And I believe my business partner has something to say regarding a new business that all of you will surely enjoy.”

The microphone is then handed to Jaehyun.

“Like what Fort said, I will be starting up a business. It’s a casino. I know the news has been going around for some time and yes, it’s based in Bordeaux, and yes, it’s called  _Red Phoenix._ ”

Murmurs fill the hall, a mixture of various reactions. Why wouldn’t they be reacting the way they do, when the name reminds them of the fallen organization, the last group that Garnet had the strongest relationship with prior to Invictus?

“You may see it as a tribute to the first-rate organization that we were associated with. Invictus wouldn’t be here without Red Phoenix. Red Phoenix, as elite as they were, gave a second-rate a chance to be their subgroup. I shall not divulge details, but like I’ve said, it’s all because of them that we are here.”

“And speaking of Red Phoenix, its relationship with Garnet is unbeatable, irreplaceable – just like something that it had been keeping in the dark, someone that possesses  _both_ organizations’ traits and competence.”

Jaehyun glances at Fort as the latter takes over, smiling radiantly at everyone.

“May I introduce to you – Red Phoenix’s heir, Garnet’s member and Invictus’ second kingpin, Ten Chittaphon.”

The Invictus squad members are the ones occupying the table at the very front, at the very center so their reactions, their priceless faces are what Ten sees first – and he wants to laugh.  He doesn’t know if he should focus on the way Taeyong drops his champagne or the way Johnny is scrambling to search for an extra napkin to wipe off the alcohol he spat on Doyoung’s face, the way Sicheng just gapes at him, ignoring the mobile game or the dumbfounded look on Yuta – it’s so obvious that the half mask can’t even hide it anymore.

Even Léonie who is at the table next to the squad is surprised. Of course, the woman has always been out of the loop.

“It had been a secret for a very long time and I know there are no more reasons for him to be held back. Ten Chittaphon, with my guidance shall be recognized as member of Garnet. He will be the one to run the Casino business with Jaehyun, as well as be involved in Invictus and Garnet’s joint business as their second kingpin.”

“I hope that this will serve as a reminder that we should always know where we stand,” A pregnant pause settles in the hall before Fort continues. “Because if you think I’m unstoppable, then Ten Chittaphon is beyond that.”

Blue eyes roll at the unnecessary stress on his significance in the mafia world. True to his words, Fort doesn’t force him to talk and lets him mingle with the Invictus members as the party resumes.

He can feel the stares at the back of his head. Ten absently tugs on the end of his hair as he takes two swigs of the wine, drinking to the last drop.

“That’s what you call a bomb,” Johnny comments as soon as Jaehyun joins them. “I don’t even know what to say?”

“Don’t say anything.” Ten deadpans. “I’m already hearing too much so save me the pains of hearing more from you.”

“Fine, fine.”

Jaehyun watches the exchange with a smirk. “Listen to the kingpin, guys. You don’t wanna defy the boss, don’t you?”

From his periphery, Ten snatches another glass of wine from the waiter. The squad then focuses on mingling with the other organizations’ members to broaden their network.

“I have a question.”

Jaehyun faces the older, head tilted in interest. “Hm?”

“Remember the war with Dragonaire?”

“Like it’s tattooed in the back of my hand. Why?”

“I need to be sure of something.”

Ten Chittaphon was never uncertain in his whole life, having lived through 29 years with a mind of his own, thoughts of his own, and he only needed himself to consult, except for  _that_ one time when there were only two of them preparing to fight the members of Dragonaire.

But things will change from this day on.

“Will you fight with me?”

Danger is the world they live in. Danger is the day they awake to, the night they dream in. Danger is their beginning and danger is their endgame.

“Why not? It seems like I can’t see myself standing anywhere but next to you.”

Like their fate had been written by the universe all along, Jaehyun stands next to Ten to overlook the world they will be leading together.

And he will be standing nowhere else but next to  _his_ Kingpin.

 

 

The HQ in Bordeaux has been operating for three months now. And for three months, Jaehyun has visited five times to aid Ten in the meetings with Garnet. When his visit is unnecessary and the demands in Korea are taking too much of his time, Jaehyun resorts to a short video conference or a phone call with the caramel-head.

In most times, he sacrifices a few hours of sleep to check on the other. He made a promise and he will keep it. He knows Ten is taking his medicines, Léonie is looking out for her son and the video chats are enough to maintain the man’s behavior. Moreover, Ten is attending therapies in a private hospital in Bordeaux.

So Jaehyun doesn’t need to worry a lot. Like at the moment, talking to the other through the laptop and seeing that Ten is perfectly fine, he knows he shouldn’t think too much. Putting trust on his partner is what he always tells himself.

“Fort told me the meeting went well?”

“What else would he tell you?” Ten sits comfortably on the swivel chair, drumming his fingers rhythmically on the desk. “Did he tell you that there are club owners that are taking interest on some women? I’ve been getting mails. I’m too lazy to read them all.”

“I can just check it in our system if you missed anything. But don’t be lazy, I have other concerns here.”

“I was kidding.” Twisting the lollipop in his mouth, Ten looks up and hums, processing a few thoughts from the meeting. “I can send you the file for sales, as well as the one summarizing the earnings from the casino. Also, I visited Gabriel Artigue yesterday. He asked for another month to get enough money to replace the amount he borrowed.”

Jaehyun’s brow rises. “And what did you do?”

“Hmm,” Blue eyes squint mischievously. “Not what I usually do to people who irk the fuck out of me. I gave him a week, though.”

Satisfaction appears on the younger’s face as he goes over a document. “He promised yesterday. Another week is a luxury.”

Ten sighs in boredom, running a hand through his hair. “What are you doing?”

“Reviewing reports?”

“It’s fucking 7 in the evening there. Get a life?”

“This is my life, Ten.”

“Alright. If you say so.”

They fall into peaceful silence, doing their own thing while the video chat runs. Ten is in the middle of ripping another bag of candy when Jaehyun speaks again.

“Ten, I wanna say something stupid.”

Another lollipop is put in the caramel-head’s mouth, poking on the left cheek. The other on the right hasn’t even fully melted yet. “Go on.”

“I love you.”

Time stills.

A few rapid blinks later, the blue-eyed man finally responds. “Did you just seriously drop a fucking bomb on me?” The way he speaks sounds funny due to the two candies stuck in his mouth. He removes one, tossing it in a small bin.

Jaehyun clears his throat, suddenly faltering. “I mean I ju–“

“Don’t just say it like that.”

The younger man pretends his chest doesn’t ache. It took him a ton of courage to fully acknowledge the feelings he harbors for the other, so to say he’s hurt is an understatement. “But why?”

“Because I might say it back.”

It’s Jaehyun’s turn to stare dumbly.

Ten frowns, finally biting down the lollipop candy. “Bitch, are you dead? I knew it. You’ll fuckin’ act like a lovestruck teenager. I’ll take it back.”

“NO!”

The younger’s outburst makes Ten snort. “Fine. I’m fucking hungry. Be gone.”

“Um,” Jaehyun scratches his reddened cheek. “Eat well?”

The connection ends with Ten denying him of a decent reply. It’s always been like that. Jaehyun is already used to it.

His heart drums violently against his ribcage as he flips pages of an important report, preventing him to focus on the task. Knowing that he won’t be able to concentrate again, Jaehyun gets up to grab a beer from the mini fridge and quickly takes a few gulps, wincing at the way it cascades down his throat.

 _Jesus._ He really is acting like a teenager.

At least he has the reason to. Ten may not say it out loud but Jaehyun knows it, knows that the other feels the same way about him.

And he will wait for it to be said back to him even if takes him a series of lifetimes.

Because Ten Chittaphon is worth waiting for.

***

Ten is on the way to get lunch when he sees Léonie come out of one of the offices. Employees are trotting off here and there, occupied with a load of work.

“What are you doing there?”

She smiles at the sight of him, patting the file folder in her arm. “I’m trying to help. It’s boring at home so I figured I should come here. Are you not really going to let me work?”

“No.” He snatches the folder from her and flips through the file with a sour face. “This is Myungsoo’s work. Give it back to him.”

Coincidentally, the owner of the name he just mentioned exits the office, stopping before them. “Uh…”

“You’re so fucking annoying, you fucktard. I told you not to give in when she comes by and tells you all–“ Ten slaps the folder atop Myungsoo’s head. “These sob stories because she’s fucking bored. And you,” Blue eyes meet another pair of blue. “Go to the lunch room. I’ll see you there.”

“You’ll have lunch with me?” The woman’s heart swells. This is the first time that Ten is willing to stay in a room with her for longer than a minute. Maybe there’s still a chance for her to redeem herself as his mother. They have all the time in the world.

“Maybe. Please go.”

Her soft smile is the last thing he sees before she disappears and he’s left with the other man in the middle of the hallway.

Myungsoo is clutching the file folder, staring right at him. Ten holds the contact for several seconds before taking a few steps closer, closing the distance between them.

His voice drops an octave lower when he speaks. “Don’t look at me that way.”

“W-what?” Myungsoo stammers, eyes widening.

“The way you look at me. I’ve seen someone else give it to me before. The thing is,” Ten glances down as he fixes the other’s suit jacket. “He’s the only one that I want to look at me that way.” Glancing back up, he continues, hoping the man gets the message. “Understood?”

His employee nods dumbly.

Satisfied with the response, Ten turns to leave, missing the determined look in Kim Myungsoo’s eyes.

 

 

 

**EPILOGUE**

“Until when are you staying here? You can’t ignore the meetings in Bordeaux.” Jaehyun asks in the middle of kissing down Ten’s naked torso, mapping out the tattoos and scars on his sun-kissed skin. The way his lips move tickles the man beneath him, and Ten laughs airily as his hands card through the softness of Jaehyun’s now blonde hair.

He likes the change. It’s fucking hot.

“Mm, in five hours.”

“What?!” The loudness of Jaehyun’s voice almost deafens the other. “What? Why didn’t you tell me? We’ve been fucking for three days and you didn’t think it was important to tell me you’re leaving at,” Jaehyun glances at the clock on the nightstand. “3PM?”

The overreaction annoys Ten. “What’s your deal? I was enjoying my time. Why would I think of the day I’m leaving when I can just,” His hand cups the back of Jaehyun’s head and pulls down before pressing his lips on the other’s. “Do these things with you?”

A bite down the younger man’s lower lip and a suck of blood later, Ten switches their positions and straddles Jaehyun’s waist. The chain connecting to the collar around Jaehyun’s neck rattles, calling the caramel-head’s attention. So Ten indulges the need and tugs the chain, pulling Jaehyun up to kiss down the side of his neck.

“You’re going to visit next month. Besides,” A sweet, marvelous tongue swirls around the blooming bruise just below Jaehyun’s collarbone. “The sex gets better when we wait for it, tease each other with phone calls and send nudes. You know it’s true. You’ve been dicking me down and I barely got out of bed.”

Teasingly, Ten drags his ass against the other’s crotch, hips deliciously undulating as he mercilessly grinds, chuckling when he feels Jaehyun’s cock harden from his actions. A pair of hands grips his waist, forcing him to quicken his pace.

Jaehyun groans, enjoying the pleasurable sensation coming back to him. The collar tightens around his throat everytime the man on top of him pulls the chain.

And he  _loves_  every second of it.

Not wasting time – five hours is a lot but five hours is what remains before he waits for another month, Jaehyun grips the base of his cock and lifts the other’s ass before thrusting up the still tender pucker and sheathing his length inside the tight heat.

Ten doesn’t wince from the abrupt intrusion, only moans as he rides the man like a champ, bouncing up and down like he was deprived, famished when he just had Jaehyun in him not even two hours ago.

As their bodies move in sync on the bed, while Jaehyun’s too lost in ecstasy, Ten swiftly takes the knife on the nightstand and presses the blade on the pale skin. The blade glints in his wild eyes as it shallowly cuts across Jaehyun’s chest, leaving a trail of blood.

Hissing from the slight sting, Jaehyun picks up his pace, holding the older tighter while he rams up his cock in a rapid pace, set to fill the room with sounds of their skin slapping and wet squelches.

He hears nothing but his name spilling out of Ten’s mouth that it pushes him too soon over the edge, grunting and muffling the embarrassing noises against the caramel-head’s shoulder. Then his hand wraps around Ten’s rigid cock, pumping and occasionally pressing down the slit, smearing the sticky cum until it shoots ropes of white, staining his stomach.

Ten shoves the other back down the bed and dips his head for a taste of metallic red, swiping his tongue over the wound a few times while he waits for his breathing to slow down.

Both of their hearts race at the same pace, erratic.

“Does it hurt?”

Jaehyun shakes his head, blinking a few times as he recovers from the dazing high. When his vision clears, the first thing that greets him is the sight of Ten’s smile coupled with the dark spark of his intense, blue eyes.

“No…”

“Good.” Ten says monotonously before bringing the blade down his skin again, this time over his shoulder. “I’m going to leave my name on you, so that wherever you go, you’re wearing me.”

And Jaehyun is left with no other choice as his lover carves  _T.Y._ on his once unblemished skin. Not that he wants a choice. He’ll let Ten do whatever he wants with him.

Even if it requires pain.

***

They’re on the way to the airport when Ten makes a request. The blue-eyed man doesn’t need to be at the airport for another hour so Jaehyun gives in, heading to the asylum. The car drives past trees and green grasses, now uncovered by snow and halts by the entrance just as a nurse comes out. Ten quickly gets off, telling the other to stay in the car before disappearing inside the facility with the woman Jaehyun recognizes as Kim Chungha.

The asylum still looks the same without a reason to change, buzzing with medical staff. Vaguely, Ten wonders what the patients might be doing either on the 2nd or 3rd floor.

No one bats an eye seeing the former patient enter and sit at the lounging area with his former assigned nurse.

“You don’t know how happy I was when I got a call,” Chungha informs him with the same bright smile. Her hair is shorter now but still the same color – black. “It’s been a while. Huh? Are you doing fine? Of course you are. By the way, Mark is sleeping; he’s dizzy from the meds since he’s got a slight fever.” She’s so excited that she doesn’t even let him talk, letting out an embarrassed laugh when she realizes she’s been rambling. “I’m sorry, I just…you said goodbye in a way I wasn’t expecting.”

“Sorry about that.” Ten’s lips purses. “Anyway I just dropped by to see how you are doing and well, to apologize, which I just did. I have work to do. I need to head back quick.”

The radiance on her face dwindles for a bit. Chungha glances surreptitiously outside before looking back at him. “If Doctor Kim sees you, he might just take you back. Besides, that stunt you pulled just proves you need an even stronger dose of all medicines and therapies given to you.”

Her cheekiness is still there, unchanging.

“I can’t do that. Do you want an honest confession?” Ten leans in as though what he’s about to say is a top secret. “I liked you and Mark. I liked the times I was with you, fuck the rest. But I was  _full_ of  _emptiness_ and it sounds fucking crazy but it’s true.” He pulls back again, crossing a leg over the other. “I don’t want to ever go back here. I’m only visiting once. In the future, I don’t think so.”

A slight disappointment crosses the nurse’s features. She’s still pretty, even prettier than the last time Ten saw her. “It’s okay. Everything was compensated, by the way. What you did – drugging them? That was sick. But all is well now. The facility was paid to shut up.” She looks down then, slowly wringing her hands. “Tell me, Ten. Who really are you?”

Ten weighs his options. He concludes that there’s nothing to worry about if he tells her. Though if something unpleasant arises, then he just need to do something about it. “If I tell you I’m a part of two deadly crime organizations, would you believe it?”

When she peers up at him, a twinge of horror is seen in her eyes before it’s gone as quick as it appeared. “No.”

“Good. It’s better that you don’t know shit about me. Because I drag everyone to hell.” Ten glances at his watch before getting up. “You don’t fit in there.”

“Where are you going?” Chungha stands up to follow him outside. Jaehyun is looking at them as Ten rushes back to the car.

“Away.” The caramel-head buckles up. “Let’s not see each other again, Chungha.” Their eyes meet again, and Ten hopes whoever her new patient is won’t hurt her the way he did. “Maybe in another lifetime we’ll be more than just a strange pair.”

 Jaehyun is just pressing down a button to close the window when the nurse runs up to them, pulling something out of her pocket–it’s Ten’s old journal, clumsily rolled. She hands it to the knife thrower, glancing at the two men in the car before her eyes land back on Ten’s. “I’ll be looking forward to that lifetime.”

Ten scoffs before reaching out to tuck strands of hair behind her ear. “Me too.”

***

The private jet is already at the airport apron when they arrive. Jaehyun hurries out of the car, slipping the key in his pocket as he follows behind the second kingpin of Invictus.

Ten hands the luggage to one of the standby attendants before facing the younger. “I’ll have to call you ASAP. Fort is arranging another meeting in two days. Or I can just mail the updates to you. You might be getting sick of me now.”

“Impossible. It’ll take a lot worse than that for me to stop. I’m in too deep.”

The wind blows in their direction, sifting through their hair. As Jaehyun stares at the man he’s come to hate and care for at the same time, the memories of the past come washing over him in monstrous waves.

In a matter of seconds he sees himself back in Red Phoenix, joining the squad and witnessing the most feared knife thrower’s wrath for the first time, dealing with his insufferable ass back in the cabin, the misunderstandings between them when they struggled for control, to see each other lose in a game fueled by their pride, and until now, in the fruit of the progress they made together.

Ten Chittaphon will always be the man he knew since the beginning. Inside the cold heart is still a ruthless killer, just sleeping, tamed by the spell of medications and waiting for the right time to flare up again, to feed its hidden desires.

And if the time comes they fall back into square one, Jaehyun knows he will find himself there again – in front of Ten Chittaphon, ready to begin a good chase.

Because all about Ten Chittaphon is a challenge. Jung Jaehyun always loves a challenge.

“I gotta board. I don’t really fancy joining a staring contest with you at the moment.” Ten pats his arm and turns to make his way to the jet. Jaehyun remains where he is, mesmerized with the way the other man’s tresses drift through the wind.

 _God,_ he’ll always love Ten’s unorthodox hairstyle.

He’s just about to leave, to go back to the HQ where a pile of work sits on the desk awaiting him when his name is called.

“Jaehyun!”

The blonde man turns. “Yeah?”

Ten pops a candy in his mouth. When he speaks, his words are hurried, though clear and stronger than anything that ever slipped past his lips, deadlier than any threat that dripped from a murderer’s tongue.

“I think I love you – more than cigarettes and candies combined.”

 


End file.
